MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Menem wins primary for Senate seat

Despite his advancing age, legal problems, a stint of self-imposed exile and poor showing in Argentina's last presidential election, former President Carlos Menem has taken a big step toward a political comeback by easily winning a primary for a Senate-seat in next October's mid term election.

In his home province of La Rioja Mr. Menem secured on Sunday the senatorial nomination under the Peronist (Justicialista or PJ) Party banner.

However the ruling Peronists in La Rioja are running divided in October, as Governor Angel Maza is fielding his own candidates as part of the Victory Front endorsed by President Néstor Kirchner.

Mr. Menem who ruled Argentina from 1989-1999 won the Peronist primary with a landslide 90% of the vote, but actually only 5% of the electoral roll turned out.

"Here we are. What Evita (Peron) said is being fulfilled: I will return and be millions," paraphrased Mr. Menem who has repeatedly insisted he would be running again in the 2007 presidential elections.

The 75-year-old former leader faces several trials on charges of corruption during his presidency, including "maliciously" not disclosing Swiss banks accounts, as well as irregularities in the construction of two prisons.

Preliminary figures released by electoral authorities show that voter turnout was extremely light in the 15 so-called "open primaries" undertaken by the Peronist Party and the main opposition party UCR, in which all voters were authorized to take part.

In the upcoming October 23 legislative elections half of the 157 seats in the Chamber of Deputies will be up for grabs along with one-third of the Senate's 72 seats. Additionally all provincial and municipal legislatures in the country will be renewed.

Mr. Menem was the winner in the first round of the presidential election April 27/2003 but failed to turn out for the run off. He managed 24.5% of the vote compared to current president Nestor Kirchner's 22%.

The run off was scheduled May 18, 2003, but public opinion polls showed Mr. Menem trailing his rival by as much as forty points, so he withdrew his candidacy which automatically made Mr. Kirchner the unexpected new president.