Bachelet tries again

摘要

She floated to office a year ago in a warm bubble of popularity. But not much has since gone right for Michelle Bachelet, a Socialist who is Chile's first woman president. Her difficulties began with unexpectedly multitudinous protests by schoolchildren. They have included a slowdown in economic growth, from 5.7% in 2005 to 4% last year, which some Chileans think may reflect lack of confidence in the government. They culminated in a botched new bus system in Santiago, the capital, which has frayed tempers.