Argentina The Battle of La Tablada

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A resurgent left could increase pressure to strengthen the hand of the military, and that is something Argentina can ill afford. With presidential elections just four months off, Alfonsin wants to guide his country's fragile democracy through a peaceful transition. At the moment, the resurgent Peronists have the advantage heading into the May 14 election. Its candidate, Carlos Menem, 53, a three-term provincial governor, has cashed in on Alfonsin's dwindling fortunes. Menem's populist message, inspirationally long on rhetoric, disappointingly short on specifics, is playing well in the opinion polls, where he leads Eduardo Angeloz, the candidate of the ruling Radical Civic Union. Menem, a flamboyant politician who loves to drive race cars, has avoided alienating any of Argentina's voting blocs: he woos businessmen by pledging to honor Argentina's bloated $60 billion foreign debt, but plays to workers by dismissing the payments as "true immorality." Says an Argentine diplomat: "Menem is macho, flashy and a Peronist, so he is seen by the majority as a savior."

Some Argentines fear that last week's attack exposes the true frailty of the country's political institutions. "This crisis endangers the democratic system," says Patino Mayer, a moderate Peronist. "It is like a cancer that spreads to everyone." Others insist that Argentina's democracy is not nearly so wobbly. "After a half-century of dictatorships and disappearances," says Public Works Minister Rodolfo Terragno, "these problems are manageable." But as disillusioned Argentine voters have sadly learned, five years of elected rule have been fine for freedom but a disappointment for everything else.