It remains to be seen how President Michelle Bachelet will weather the current discontent with her presidency, and whether she can effectively deal with the corruption that threatens her ability to govern.

Chile’s Socialist president, Michelle Bachelet, was once one of the most popular leaders in Latin America, but a year into her second term in office her popularity has plummeted. One cannot engage in political discussion anywhere in Chile without hearing strong criticism of her government. According to the Santiago-based Center for Public Studies (CEP), by late April just 29% of respondents approved of her leadership, while 56% disapproved. More recent polling has her disapproval rating up to 65%.  These levels of disapproval are almost as high as those obtained by her predecessor, the conservative Sebastian Piñera.