Chile's president-elect receives congratulations from abroad
Michelle Bachelet, Chile's first woman to be elected president, received congratulations from foreign governments promising close relationships with Chile, local media reported on Monday.

A government spokesman for the United States, Christie Parell, eulogized Chile for "elections that showed a strong commitment to democracy" and stressed the excellent and long-established relationship between the two countries.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero congratulated her for being the first woman president-elect in any Latin American country and expected an intensification of Chile's already close relations with Spain.

The 54-year-old Bachelet is a pediatrician and public health expert who has also studied military science at Chile's National Academy of Strategy and Policy, and the United States Inter-American Defense College. She has served as a minister of health.

Jacques Chirac, France's president, expressed his hope that France and Chile would both commit to the creation of a more balanced world in the interests of global development.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that Bachelet was a woman who knew how to fight, and described her father as a "patriotic general" who defended Salvador Allende, and became a prisoner of the dictatorship.

Argentina's Nestor Kirchner called Bachelet on Sunday night to tell her that the two countries will have "a strategic relationship" from her first day in office. Bachelet said that her first visit abroad would be to Argentina.

Mexican presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar said that Mexico "recognizes and congratulates Chile for the (election) process it has followed, the high rate of turnout and the equality granted to all."

Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said that Bachelet's victory was a "strengthening of political stability and democracy in South America."

Bachelet also received congratulations from Ecuador, Peru, Panama, New Zealand, El Salvador, Cuba, Costa Rica, Honduras and Uruguay. Bolivia's Evo Morales sent his regards and invited her to his Jan. 22 inauguration.