MENEM COMES IN SECOND IN ARGENTINE ELECTIONS

Carlos Menem, former president of Argentina and the senate candidate for the Justice Party (PJ) suffered a devastating defeat to Victory Front (FV) candidate Angel Maza on Sunday in his home province of La Rioja. While the 39.9 percent of the vote Menem received is enough to give him a minority seat in the senate, the poor showing at the polls all but ends his hopes for a shot at the 2007 presidential elections.

The mid term elections were widely seen as a reaffirmation of President Néstor Kirchner’s (PV) mandate. Kirchner’s wife, Cristina Fernández (FV), also won a senate seat in the capital city of Buenos Aires, the country’s most populous region, as well as his sister, Alicia Kirchner (FV) in the province of Santa Cruz. With the party’s recent gains around the country, Kirchner is expected to expand his popular social and economic programs that have helped improve Argentina’s economy over the last three years.

Kirchner was elected president in 2003 after receiving only 22 percent of the vote. While initially winning a low percentage, he was automatically declared the winner after Menem, president of Argentina between 1989 and 1999, pulled out of the second round run-off elections.

Menem had hoped that strong support in Sunday’s elections could propel him back into Argentine politics; however, the poor showing all but ends any future political career he may have had.

Part of Menem’s low polling can be attributed to corruption scandals that have dogged him since he stepped down from power in 1999. In 2001 he was arrested for illegal weapons trafficking to Ecuador and Croatia. After denying all charges in 2002 he moved to Chile with his new wife, Cecilia Bolocco, Chile’s Miss Universe 1987.

Shortly thereafter, Argentina charged Menem with tax fraud and sought his extradition from Chile. Menem managed to keep his name in the papers with a protracted legal battle between Chile and Argentina over Menem’s extradition to Argentina to face fraud charges.
Last December all arrest warrants were dropped against Menem. His wife Cecilia Bolocco remains in Chile with their two year old son Maximo.