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Michelle Bachelet, Chile's first woman president, has appointed a female former cabinet minister to be the country's first lady, officials said Friday.
The question of who would be first lady has been in the headlines since Bachelet, who is separated, was swept into office with 54 percent of the vote on January 15.
Adriana Delpiano, the minister of women's affairs under former president Ricardo Lagos, announced she had been appointed to a new office created especially by Bachelet to handle the functions carried out by the previous first lady, Lagos's wife.
Bachelet at first considered appointing her mother or one of her three children to carry out the first lady role, according to presidential sources.
Bachelet, 54, has been separated from her husband for years and said she has "managed perfectly" without a partner.
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Chile-politics-women-Bachelet
AFP 171851 GMT 03 06
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