Economist.com Cities Guide: Buenos Aires Briefing - August 2005

News this month

Cutting the pie

Negotiations over power-sharing between President Néstor Kirchner and his erstwhile political backer and predecessor, Eduardo Duhalde, broke down in July. That should herald a major battle between the two for the key province of Buenos Aires in October's Congressional elections. Mr Duhalde owes his strength to control of the ruling Peronists' political apparatus in the heavily populated rustbelt around the capital. His support—and with it the backing of this well-oiled party machine—were key in Mr Kirchner's election in 2003.

But Mr Duhalde's power has waned since he handed over the presidency, and Mr Kirchner is keen to see his own supporters elected to Congress rather than relying on Mr Duhalde's forces. The competing lists of candidates will each be headed by the wives of the two rivals: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, born in Buenos Aires but serving as a senator for her husband's province of Santa Cruz, and Hilda “Chiche” Duhalde, who used to head the government’s social programmes and is now a Congressional deputy. Although there is supposedly a moratorium on campaigning until two months before elections, the rivals are squaring up. In the rally to announce her candidacy, Mrs Kirchner compared Mr Duhalde to Marlon Brando's mafia-boss character in “The Godfather”. Mrs Duhalde, in turn, has accused her rival of being a carpetbagger, treating the province as “a hotel”.

No opposition

The division of the ruling Peronists should be a golden opportunity for the opposition. Yet they face a problem: no one has enough support in Buenos Aires province to challenge either of the Peronist candidates. The party is now running two lists for the Congressional elections—one supporting Mr Duhalde and one for Mr Kircher—which is a tricky move in Argentina, where the electoral system awards the spoils to the two lists that receive most votes. The opposition, now jittery that the Peronists will sweep the board, is expending plenty of energy railing against the arrangement. Some have even challenged it in the courts.

The legal challenge raised by the Radical Civic Union, a traditional anti-Peronist opposition party, argues that the constitution obliges each party to run just one list. Margarita Stolbizer, leader of the Buenos Aires Radicals, argued that her constituents are “involuntary spectators in an obscene” power struggle within the Peronist party. Whatever that argument's merits, it is unlikely that the courts will be brave enough to disqualify the list headed by Mrs Kirchner.

Under fire

A city council commission investigating the nightclub fire in December that caused 193 deaths is calling for the impeachment of Aníbal Ibarra, the city's mayor, along with the city's inspector general and the co-ordinator of its Emergency Committee. The report alleges that the city government had failed to appoint competent officials and had employed only 150 inspectors to monitor 200,000 businesses.

Most of the victims' families support the conclusions. But Mr Ibarra was not without his defenders. An ad in the local press signed by a long list of luminaries accused the commission of having political motives. The city government pointed out that the commission did not contain any of Mr Ibarra's supporters and interviewed mainly opposition officials (largely owing to the administration's decision not to co-operate with the investigation). They also complained that the report scarcely mentioned the failures of concert organisers and emergency service staff.

Unhappy anniversary

Thousands of Buenos Aires residents gathered in the city centre on July 18th to mark the 11th anniversary of the bombing of a Jewish welfare centre, the country's worst terrorist attack. Relatives of the victims lit 85 candles, one for each victim. The British ambassador lit an 86th candle to commemorate the recent bombings in London.

Many criticised Argentine authorities for failing to find the perpetrators. A decade-long investigation into the attack collapsed last year with the acquittal of all charged. The judge on the case was removed from office on August 3rd, for having bribed a key witness to provide false testimony and for having authorised illegal investigations. Carlos Menem and Eduardo Duhalde, both former presidents, have also been accused of taking part in an alleged cover-up. A decree issued by Mr Kirchner shortly before the anniversary admitted to the failure of the state to prevent the attack and the mishandling of the investigation. But the acting president of the Jewish welfare centre, Luis Grynwald, told the president that “admitting the blame without finding those responsible is not enough”. Mr Grynwald demanded that the government declare the attack a crime against humanity, so that the case would not expire under statute of limitations.

Holy politics

The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, began a process in July to nominate for potential canonisation three priests and two seminarians murdered during Argentina's military junta from 1976 to 1983. The men were killed on July 4th 1976 at the San Patricio church in the suburb of Belgrano. Arriving for morning service, the church organist discovered their bodies riddled with bullets; on the wall a message read: “These lefties died because they indoctrinated innocent minds”. The attacks were almost certainly carried out by members of the security forces.

The men would be the first victims of the military government to be named saints. The case will be studied first by the local church and then by the Vatican to determine whether they were martyrs. According to the local press, there have been cases of miracles attributed to the men, which would justify sainthood. Some cynics, however, accused Cardinal Bergoglio of merely working to improve his image. The cardinal reportedly received a respectable number of votes in the recent papal elections, but some critics at home accuse him of complicity with the military government.

Catch if you can

August 2005

World Tango Championship

August 13th-21st 2005

The city that gave the world the tango plays host to some of the world's best practitioners of the art, in a championship lasting nine days and nights. The competition is divided into two categories: ballroom and stage. The latter is more spectacular and widespread, the former a perfected version of the form danced by couples in the capital's milongas, or dance get-togethers.

Participants will compete with locals in a series of heats that are open to the public. The final, which attracted 8,000 spectators over two nights last year, will be held at La Rural, the city's principal exhibition centre. There are daily heats at La Rural during the championship, many with live music from top tango dancers. Also expect concerts, classes, workshops and tango-related exhibitions throughout the city.

La Rural, Avenida Santa Fe 4201 and Avenida Sarmiento 2704, Palermo. Tel: +54 (11) 4777-5500. Entry: free (for later rounds, tickets must be collected in advance, with a maximum of two per person). See the competition's website.

More from the Buenos Aires cultural calendar