Two for the Seesaw

In his Cabbages and Kings, O. Henry lightly--if somewhat fondly--dismissed Central America as a collection of "little opera bouffe nations" that "play at government and intrigue." The generals always ran the show, and elections--when they were held at all--were ruthlessly rigged. More than 50 years later, most Central American countries still only play at the game of government. But a few are quietly breaking tradition, judging by two recent presidential elections.

> In Guatemala, after three years of military government, Strongman Enrique Peralta permitted more than 450,000 Guatemalans to go to the polls and in a free and open election reject two military candidates in favor of a civilian: Julio Cesar Mendez Montenegro, 50, leader of the moderate Revolutionary Party. The quiet, colorless dean of the University of Guatemala's law school, Mendez Montenegro promised to promote new industry, head off inflation and, most important of all, create a government completely free of military influence. He rolled up more votes in Guatemala City than his two opponents combined--Colonel Juan de Dios Aguilar de Leon, 54, the government-backed candidate of the Democratic Institutional Party, and Colonel Miguel Angel Ponciano, 51, leader of the National Liberation Movement. The margin was less in the outbacks, however, and at week's end, as the counting continued, it appeared that the election might be thrown into the newly elected Congress, since Montenegro seemed to lack the absolute majority required by law. The congressional balloting, scheduled for May 5, would probably choose between Mendez Montenegro and Runner-up Aguilar, both of whom claim they can marshal a congressional majority for the final runoff.

> In Costa Rica, elections were held Feb. 6, but not until a fortnight ago, after the vote was certified, did opposition parties finally concede victory. The winner: Jose Joaquin Trejos, a 49-year-old university professor who edged out Daniel Oduber, 44, the candidate of the ruling National Liberation Party, by a mere 4,200 votes. For Costa Rica, which has no army, the election was only one more in a long chain of peaceful choices at the ballot box; only twice in this century has a Costa Rican President taken power by force. Backed by a coalition of small parties led by three former Presidents, Trejos drew first blood when he charged the Oduber crowd with "growing socialism," then uneasily held still as his backers spread hints that Oduber was a Communist. For Trejos, running the country may be tougher than winning the office. Oduber's Liberation Party finished ahead in the Legislative Assembly races and promises to give Trejos plenty of trouble over the next four years.

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