In Chile, newly elected president Michelle Bachelet gave her first state-of-the-nation address Sunday and vowed to invest heavily in health, housing and education.

Michele Bachelet: “Today, I present to the country the four major transformations my government will push. These are big changes in four areas that are crucial for us to overcome exclusion and to construct a society that is more inclusive. We have the historic mandate to do it, we have the obligation to reach 2010 with a more modern country that is integrated and developed. The first transformation is centered in Chile’s private pension system. Without dignified and secure pensions, there cannot be peaceful aging. The second transformation will happen in the education system. We need more pre-schools and schools and clubs of higher quality for the older children. The third transformation has to do with innovation and implementation of new policies to stimulate growth. The fourth transformation will permit us to have friendly neighborhoods with a good quality of life for the people.”

Michelle Bachelet, who is Chile’s first female president, also promised to seek truth and justice for the human rights violations committed during the U.S.-backed military dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Bachelet said the country should never stop searching for the dissidents who were disappeared by the Pinochet regime.