Newsmaker: Same charm, bolder plans win Bachelet a second term in Chile

By Alexandra Ulmer SANTIAGO (Reuters) – When Michelle Bachelet became Chile’s health minister under President Ricardo Lagos in 2000, he assigned her a daunting task: end the long lines at overwhelmed primary health care centers within three months. Bachelet struggled to meet the deadline. Yet, when Lagos visited a medical center to survey the situation, a woman whisked him aside to praise Bachelet and beg him to keep her in his cabinet. “Within a short period of time, Bachelet managed to forge a relationship with people.