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SANTIAGO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chilean President Michelle Bachelet defended her government's structural reforms on Wednesday after former President Sebastián Piñera launched his new campaign on Tuesday by slamming her track record.
"Chile is a good country for its citizens. We have many challenges, much to improve. But things are happening, people are receiving the idea that we can achieve all the changes we want to live better," said Bachelet at a press conference.
On Tuesday night, Piñera, who was president from 2010-2014, launched his campaign for the November 2017 elections by criticizing Bachelet and her structural reforms.
For the right-wing candidate, the reforms "were badly conceived, poorly implemented and have produced very negative results."
Bachelet's center-left coalition returned to power in 2014 in part thanks to an ambitious reform plan for tax and education, as well as a new Constitution.
However, an economic reversal, caused largely by the dropping prices of copper, has reduced enthusiasm for reform.
On Wednesday, Bachelet revisited her presidency's greatest hits. "We have made improvements to the education system, to the relations between workers and entrepreneurs, in taxation duties, in the...financing of political parties, gender equality. We now want to improve the Constitution," she emphasized.
"Every time we try to make changes, some people do not want to change and want things to stay as they are. But certainly, Chile will continue to progress, despite the difficulties which may arise. Our level of development has broadly not stopped increasing," she said.
Piñera is seen as the favourite to win the presidency, despite only receiving a relatively low 25 percent in polls. His closest rival is left-wing independent senator, Alejandro Guillier. Michelle Bachelet is constitutionally unable to stand for another mandate.
