Orderly Transition in Argentina

At a time when Latin American politics are resurrecting the caudillo, the strongman, in a handful of countries, the orderly change of power in Argentina is refreshing.

About 24 million Argentines went to the polls on Sunday and chose Fernando de la Rua, the mayor of Buenos Aires, as successor to President Carlos Saul Menem, sending a message to the rest of the continent that full-fledged democracy had returned to Latin America, at least in Argentina, a pivotal nation and the birthplace of Peronism, the militaristic politics that dominated Latin America for decades. From 1930 to 1989, no popularly elected Argentine president was able to transfer power to another popularly elected president. But on this election night, both Present Menem and de la Rua’s opponent, Eduardo Duhalde, called de la Rua to congratulate the new president on his victory.

The Argentines voted for change. They wanted new faces to carry out the economic model set by the Menem administration, but with enhanced social programs for the poor.

At a time when Venezuela, Peru and Paraguay are struggling under the authoritarian rule of caudillos, and Colombia and Ecuador face political instability, Argentina has set a standard for the continent.

The task ahead will be difficult in Buenos Aires. Unemployment hovers around 15%, crime is on the rise, and the gap between rich and poor is widening.

Lacking a majority in the Chamber of Deputies, President De la Rua will have to govern by consensus, always a difficult task, but one that the Argentines have put him in La Casa Rosada, the presidential palace, to achieve.