Press slams 'coward' Menem

Opinion polls showed Menem trailing badly

Leading newspapers in Argentina have branded former President Carlos Menem a coward for withdrawing from the run-off presidential election after opinion polls showed him trailing badly.

As well as condemnation, anxiety is expressed over the repercussions of the move for the future of Argentine democracy, but there are hopes Nestor Kirchner can prove himself a leader capable of uniting the country.

A commentator in Pagina 12 describes Mr Menem's decision as "perverse and cowardly, for which he may pay a high price" as well as "disgraceful and regrettable".

"As usual, he subordinated the interests of the nation to his own," the commentary says, believing, however, that "he is in the twilight of his career".

Sociologist Ernesto Lopez, writing in Pagina 12, says his withdrawal is "selfish and harmful to democracy and will make him the laughing-stock of history".

And Pagina 12 journalist Magdalena Ruiz Guinazu attacks his "cowardice" which she says will "mean the end of Menem himself but not necessarily of his movement".

Has-been

History will judge Menem.

Clarin

Another commentator in the daily accuses him of being "a coup-mongering anti-democrat" seeking to undermine Argentina's credibility, governability, and social peace, but warns "society will banish him to wherever political has-beens go".

The top circulation Clarin targets the former president for depriving the nation of fulfilling its democratic right to elect a new leader, fearing the decision could cause what it describes as a "pernicious turbulence" in national life.

"History will judge Menem," proclaims a Clarin commentator, describing his decision as "the decadence of the end of an era".

Several papers fear the next administration will be robbed of the legitimacy implicit in the run-off, noting that Mr Kirchner only gained 22% of the first round vote.

Menem's objective is to inflict the greatest damage possible on the next government.

Pagina 12

Mr Menem's decision in effect means the new president will be inaugurated with the actual backing of less than a quarter of the electorate, depriving him of the 70% plus vote forecast for the decisive round.

An opinion piece in La Nacion accuses Mr Menem of having "massively and systematically destroyed most democratic institutions" over the past 14 years.

Destabilisation

It believes his latest move is an attempt "to destabilise Nestor Kirchner from day one of his administration".

Pagina 12 agrees: "Menem's objective is to inflict the greatest damage possible on the next government and minimise the damage to himself."

Menem's noble gesture.

Ambito Financiero

However, it forecasts the move will rebound on him and "he will commit political suicide."

A leading business daily, El Cronista, lashes out at Mr Menem for "the lack of respect he showed for those who voted for him" in the first round and his "contempt for institutions."

El Cronista says he should be told in no uncertain terms he has "let us down" by placing "personal and partisan interests above the interests of the country" and exhibiting a "meanness of spirit at a time when governability is at stake".

One of the few words of praise for Mr Menem comes from the financial paper Ambito Financiero, which speaks of his "noble gesture" in seeking to end the national split between Menemites and anti-Menemites.

Hope

Despite the overwhelming negativity over the move, some commentators see signs of hope emerging from it.

Menem move could purify Argentine politics.

Commentator - El Cronista

A columnist in Clarin expresses the hope that Argentina can emulate Spain following the death of Franco.

"We Argentines can and must seek to draw a definitive line under the past and generate the conditions for the emergence of a new political system."

Writing in El Cronista, the philosopher Nicolas Casullo argues that the decision could "purify Argentine politics and pave the way for a more mature and transparent political system."

Another El Cronista commentator feels that Mr Kirchner is capable of legitimating his administration by using deft political footwork to build a consensus.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.