The trouble is that this comment says little about FREPASO.
It appears rather similar to the earlier contribution although I had
suggested:
>Since LP advertises his Marxism list as open to all views
within Marxism, hopefully he will now also be able to forward a contrasting
analysis to that of Julio Fernández Baraibar, so we can see the range of
debate.<
The following comment [below] from the web I think is interesting in terms
of the skirmishing between bourgeois politicians. I attach a note about the
class basis of the source. Of course it does not say much about FREPASO.
Presumably as in most countries marxists have to decide whether to take
part in something that might be on the left of bourgeois politics or
whether to be splendidly isolated. A third way, a genuine third way, is
more difficult to find.
I hope somebody if not, Louis Proyect, can forward some information about
FREPASO hopes to be doing.
Chris Burford
London
Democracy’s Growing Pains—Chile and Argentina
By Mark Falcoff
Latin American Outlook
[This appears to be a publication of the AEI, an information resource for
US capitalism.
"The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is dedicated
to preserving and strengthening the foundations of freedom— government,
private enterprise, vital cultural and political institutions, and a strong
foreign policy and national defense— scholarly research, open debate, and
publications. Founded in 1943 and located in Washington, D.C., AEI is one
of America's largest and most respected "think tanks." " ]
Argentina’s political drama is of an entirely different order [to that of
Chile]. There the issue is fully and plainly one of political succession.
Despite repeated feints and gestures, President Carlos Menem appears to
have accepted the fact that under the new 1994 constitution he cannot run
for a third consecutive term. He has delayed the matter—and kept the
possibility alive in the public imagination—for so long, however, that his
putative successor, Buenos Aires Province Governor Eduardo Duhalde, has not
been able to consolidate his own support in the Peronist party. Some
believe, in fact, that President Menem would prefer to see Governor Duhalde
lose the election, so that Menem could act as the leader of the opposition
during the next presidency and become the Peronist candidate in 2003 (when
he will be eligible to run for a third term).
The squabbles within Peronism do not necessarily mean an automatic victory
for the opposition Radical-FREPASO coalition, whose candidate is Buenos
Aires Mayor Fernando de la Rua. Although de la Rua is an attractive,
articulate, and well-considered politician, the underlying tensions between
his Radical Party (the traditional expression of Argentina’s middle class)
and FREPASO, a coalition of Left-leaning parties and groups, periodically
surface to pose doubts as to whether such a coalition could actually govern
if elected. The pendulum of public opinion has swung back and forth in
recent weeks and is likely to do so well up to election day on November 29.
Most veteran Argentina-watchers predict a close election; some think that
it will be very close indeed.
May 1999
