Political Parties in Argentine Compete for “jewish Vote” in Elections

Almost every party in the forthcoming Argentinean Presidential and Congressional elections, first elections there since Peron’s ouster, includes Jewish candidates, according to information received today by the World Jewish Congress here.

Jews figure prominently in the lists of the two major Argentine parties, Union Civica Radical Intransigente, whose Presidential candidate is Dr. Arturo Frondizi; and Union Civica Radical de Pueblo, whose leader, Dr. Ricardo Balbin, is the party’s Presidential nominee. The two parties are wings of the old Radical Party; the Frondizi group being more extreme in plans for nationalization and freedom from any alien influence. When the United Radical Party opposed Peron in the last elections in 1952, Balbin and Frondizi headed the ticket for offices of President and Vice President, respectively.

Dr. Frondizi’s party has nominated Jews as gubernatorial candidates in two provinces. These candidates are Dr. Luis Gutnisky for Formosa Province, and Dr. Angel Edelman for the Province of Neuquen. Neither area has anything like a decisive Jewish vote, but both men are considered having good chances of success.

Dr. Gutnisky’s nomination, the WJC learned, resulted in the Christian Democratic Party waiving a previous demand that the Formosa provincial constitution should stipulate that only a Roman Catholic can be Governor. Isaac Breyter, a member of the WJC Consultative Council in Argentina and an active Zionist and communal leader, is one of four Jews campaigning for Congress seats as Frondizi party representatives from the Federal capital.

In Formosa province, Dr. Balbin’s list includes a well-known businessman, Jose Cohen, who is campaigning for the Senate. Many Jews are candidates for Congressional seats under Balbin’s colors. A third Jewish candidate for Governor is Jose Brusilovsky, who is running on the Socialist Party ticket in the Province of Santa Fe. There are also Jewish candidates on lists of the Christian Democratic Party and Partido Laborista. The latter is a workers’ group which, organized shortly before Peron came to power, joined him and then suffered at his hands.

On the eve of the elections, Dr. Frondizi issued a message to the Jewish community, referring to the fact that this is the first time that there are Jewish nominees for provincial govern ships, and expressing his party’s friendship forwards all minority groups. The message added the party’s interest and sympathy in the creation and development of Israel, and expressed a desire to see contact between Israel and Jews of Argentina strengthened, so that both countries might profit culturally, economically and politically.

Alejandro Gomez, who is seeking the Vice Presidency with Dr. Frondizi, stated in Buenos Aires that if his party wins, Dr. Frondizi and he will go to Europe and Israel early this year. Praise for Israel as a true example of democracy came from the Socialist Party’s Presidential nominee, Dr. Alfredo L. Palacios, who visited Israel during the Sinai campaign period.

In the Province of Entre Rios, the Conservative Party issued a memorandum recalling that Jewish migration into Argentina had been facilitated, “thanks to the immigration laws of the old Conservative governments.”