Ghost in the New Chile

Chile’s newly elected president, Ricardo Lagos, a 61-year-old Socialist, has vowed he’ll work for human rights and economic progress within a free market economy, a big promise that will require the support of all Chileans. Complicating this is the man who wasn’t there, former dictator Augusto Pinochet, expected to return soon to Chile from Britain after having been freed from foreign warrants on grounds of poor health.

Pinochet, whose bloody regime ran from 1973 to 1990, represents the fascist past of Chile, which Lagos and his center-left supporters would like to bury. Joaquin Lavin, who carried the rightist standard in Sunday’s voting, gained enough of the vote, 48%, to make the country a political battleground for the immediate future. The fundamental issue is economic inequality, but it will not be the only problem that Lagos will face during his six-year term.

The imminent return of Pinochet will put a heavy weight on the first days of Lagos’ presidency. Many of his election supporters expect the new president to lead the charge to bring Pinochet to justice. Supporters say he placed himself in that position in the 1980s when he confronted the dictator on national television. Wagging his finger at Pinochet, he warned that the general would be held accountable for the atrocities of his regime. That day may be near.

Wisely, Lagos has directed the fate of the 84-year-old former tyrant toward its proper setting, the courts. Good sense would dictate that Pinochet not resume his seat in the Senate. He should be buried politically, as he and his henchmen buried, literally, so many Chileans fighting for democratic government.

Lagos will require strong backing across the nation in his campaign to create jobs, curb crime and improve health care, housing and education. A high profile for a wretched dictator is the last thing Chile needs.