Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
under the fictitious identity of a deceased Italian-born widow. Despite
these concessions, the junta manipulated the election to exclude Perón
from the presidency by arbitrarily imposing a residency law for all can-
didates. However, years of military repression and guerrilla violence
had left a bitter residue in the political environment. Extralegal action
seemed more legitimized now than ever before in Argentina.
The Troubled Return of Perón
As expected, the Peronists swept the presidential elections of 1973
and the party candidate, Héctor Cámpora, took the oath of office amid
jubilant hopes that the generals would never again return to power.
Pedestrians spat on military officers on the streets. Of all the guerrilla
fighters, Cámpora rewarded the Montoneros most of all. He set free
all 371 political prisoners from the jails, some of whom were hard-
core terrorists. Other Montoneros received government appointments
along with Peronist union leaders and longtime party apparatchiks.
The Montoneros celebrated with huge demonstrations, punctuated
by jumping to the beat of
bombos,
big bass drums; youthful spectators
at these celebrations filled up the stadiums of the professional soccer
teams. But the Peronist right wing and many labor bosses resented
having to share power with these presumptuous newcomers to the
movement.
Perón sided with the right, especially after his triumphant return
went sour. “The old man” and his young new wife, María Estela (Isabel)
Martínez de Perón, arranged to arrive at Ezeiza International Airport
on June 20. Nearly the entire city of Buenos Aires came to a standstill
the day before as a million well-wishers headed to the airport, many
having to walk when traffic became hopelessly snarled. The party and
labor leaders took charge of setting up the stage where the Peróns were
to greet the celebrants. When a column of Montoneros, accompanied
by their
bombos
and banners, advanced in order to place themselves, as
good Soldiers of Perón, in front of the stage, gunshots rang out, and a
riot and firefight ensued between the Peronist right and left. A furious
Perón had to divert his plane to an air force base. Everyone believed
that the official statistics of 16 dead and 433 wounded vastly underre-
ported the number of victims in this incident. Shortly thereafter, Perón
forced Cámpora to resign and the interim president to call for a special
election in which Perón won 61 percent of the vote in his third cam-
paign for the presidency. His wife Isabel was elected vice president, an
office that had eluded Evita.
