Honeymoon May Be Over for Chile President

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet delivers a speech at the La Moneda government palace in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, June, 6, 2006. Public high school students are on a nationwide strike demanding reforms in Chile's education law, including a federal takeover to reduce inequality between rich and poor schools. Bachelet offered students a variety of benefits that will cost Chile some $200 million through next year and to study reforms to Chile's education law. (AP Photo/Santiago Llanquin) (Santiago Llanquin - AP)

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Michelle Bachelet will be celebrated in Washington this week by fellow free-trader George Bush and a who's who of powerful women. But critics at home say their new president has struggled in her first leadership test, giving in too easily to violent student protests.

Her response to the demonstrations was a new turn for a Latin America known for tough male leaders: Tenderly addressing students on live TV, she declared their grievances "fully legitimate" and promised costly reforms.

Bachelet showed such empathy that one newspaper dubbed her tactics the "mommy" approach.

Supporters say the president struck exactly the right tone in dealing with angry protesters demanding financial help for poor students and federal cash to even out regional differences in spending on schools.

But critics think Bachelet waited too long to get involved and then conceded too easily in offering programs that will cost an additional $200 million through next year. They say her actions encouraged students to escalate a strike that has shut down schools for three weeks and brought stone-throwing clashes, tear gas and water cannons to the streets.

The protests have continued despite her conciliatory TV appearance Thursday and a harsher declaration Monday from Bachelet, who said "the truth is that a strike isn't necessary." Her finance minister, Andres Velasco, said no further concessions would be granted.

But by that evening, 600,000 striking high school students had been joined by college students and Education Ministry workers, and police made 200 more arrests.

Late Tuesday, student leaders announced after hours of debate among themselves that the protests would continue, saying they still demand a greater role in drafting education reforms.

Earlier in the day, about a dozen students briefly occupied U.N. offices in Santiago, calling for international intervention and delivering a list of demands to UNESCO director Anal Luiza Machado before departing.

Bachelet's supporters argue no president _ male or female _ could have ended the protests sooner. But the honeymoon may be over for the 54-year-old socialist, a pediatrician three months into her term as the first woman elected president in Latin America without a powerful spouse.

Tough challenges also are on the menu for Bachelet's lunch with President Bush at the White House on Thursday.

Foremost is U.S. pressure to vote against Venezuela getting a U.N. Security Council seat. Her eventual decision will anger either Chile's top trading partner or neighbors like Argentina that back the U.N. bid by Venezuela's anti-U.S. leader, Hugo Chavez.