Chile's first and Latin America's third directly-elected woman president

Papers from across the political spectrum in Chile welcome the onset of a new era after Michelle Bachelet was sworn in as the country's first female president on Saturday.

Much is made of the favourable political and economic situation she inherits, which is viewed as a good starting point for the major socio-economic reforms she says she intends to put in place.

But there are cautions that it may not all be plain sailing.

One commentator is hopeful that a woman at the helm could ensure a more peaceful and benevolent government.

The leading daily El Mercurio hails "this historic occasion" and acknowledges that the new leader has "already revealed her autonomy and strength of character" in her cabinet selection.

President Bachelet can promote a credible and modern leftist model which works not only for Chile but for the entire region El Mercurio

It describes the new cabinet as suggesting Ms Bachelet is "intending to follow the option of a modern social democracy".

El Mercurio says she will have to implement major reforms to the labour market to ensure young people and women can get decent jobs in a bid to end the substantial poverty suffered by a significant minority in the country.

But it believes she can do it and provide an example for the whole region.

"President Bachelet can promote a credible and modern leftist model which works not only for Chile but for the entire region."

Challenges ahead

La Tercera also dwells on the challenges facing her, arguing that her objective of creating a "system of social protection" for less fortunate Chileans by 2010 is "ambitious" and will require "important reforms".

Another challenge, it believes, will be giving an impulse to the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, "the country's principle source of employment".

"Bachelet has only got four years to implement these projects and this will require a combination of speed and efficiency to maintain the momentum."

La Tercera also contends that "one of the major issues, without doubt, is our relations with neighbouring countries. The massive presence of regional leaders indicates Chile's important position in the Latin American order".

The republic is turning its back on 200 years of trousers and can look forward to the era of the skirt La Cuarta

"The new government takes over at an auspicious time, providing an opportunity to make improvements which could lead it to the door of development by the eve of the bicentenary."

A headline in the popular daily La Cuarta proclaims: "Michelle is the Queen". It describes the swearing in ceremony as "Pure emotion".

The paper says "the intense and emotional embrace" between Ms Bachelet and her predecessor Ricardo Lagos "symbolises that from now on, the republic is turning its back on 200 years of trousers and can look forward to the era of the skirt".

Writing in La Segunda, the actress Malucha Pinto echoes the theme of gender, in a piece headlined "The women have arrived at the presidential palace".

"We have started to build a Motherland, a motherly and healthy country which reaches out to embrace. A fertile and nutritive land. A she-wolf land which fiercely defends its offspring."

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.