Chile President Bachelet shrugs off polls, says reforms to continue

Chile's President Michelle Bachelet walks after attending an event where Uruguay's President Tabare Vazquez (not pictured) received the presidential sash from his predecessor Jose Mujica (not pictured) in Montevideo March 1, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Pazos

By Rosalba O'Brien SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said her ambitious reform drive would not be derailed by a recent run of natural and political storms that have dragged her popularity to an all-time low, promising to continue with "key" educational changes. The center-left leader, who ran the top copper exporter between 2006 and 2010 and then began a second term in March 2014, has seen her approval ratings sink to their lowest ever levels in recent weeks. The political class has been rocked by corruption scandals and questions over the access Bachelet's daughter-in-law had to a large bank loan, which forced her son to step down as head of her charity. In addition, the country has been hit by a series of natural disasters, including devastating floods in the north. "We have to confront (these issues) but at the same time we have to advance and that's why the reforms are going to continue," Bachelet told journalists at a meeting at the presidential palace on Wednesday. "It makes it more complex, and much more expensive than calculated, but we will do all that is necessary." Reconstruction after the floods will cost at least $1.5 billion, she said. NOT RESIGNING Bachelet laughed off social media chatter that she might resign over the loan affair, castigating the media for "getting their information from Twitter". "I am not thinking of resigning in any way," she said. "We are going to keep working for what we promised the country". Her election pledges included raising corporate taxes to pay for an overhaul of education, reforming labor relations and changing the electoral system devised by the late military dictator Augusto Pinochet. With some of those reforms already on the statute books, the government is hoping this year to push through Congress the crucial part of its education package, which among other changes will make university tuition free. Chile has made significant strides in eradicating poverty in recent decades, and is one of Latin America's most stable and wealthy countries. However, it still suffers from sharp inequality and poor quality schooling, especially for those on lower incomes. "We are convinced education reform is key if we want to be a developed country," said Bachelet. (Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien Editing by W Simon)