Landslide for Peace

The months of waiting were over, the candidates had made their last pitch, the military disappeared into the barracks for a day. After one of the bitterest and bloodiest years in the country's turbulent history, some 1,200,000 Dominicans finally went to the polls last week for their second free election since 1924. Forecasters had bet on a close result. Instead, Moderate Joaquin Balaguer, 59, won in a landslide, defeating Leftist Juan Bosch, 56, by 745,700 votes to 487,600--almost the same margin by which Bosch himself won the presidency in 1962.

Into the Streets. The election was more than a simple choice between two political parties. Bosch was widely accused of being a Communist, and Balaguer--a onetime Trujillo functionary --was attacked as a Trujillista. Both denied any such associations, but the labels stuck anyway. An even deeper issue was last year's bloody revolt. Bosch, in whose name the revolt was launched, claimed that the fighting was a "popular" revolution and looked to the election results to bear him out.

Balaguer insisted that it was only an ugly little episode triggered by a "handful of Communists." Tensions were high at election time, and to keep everything honest, scores of foreign and diplomatic "observers" poured into the country to watch over the vote, including 70 self-appointed liberal watchdogs led by Socialist Norman Thomas. In the end, all the visitors--including even Norman Thomas himself--agreed that last week's election was fair.

Yet no sooner were the election returns in than Bosch followers began crying fraud, and Bosch himself announced that his party would challenge the results "at every point where there appears to have been fraud." In Bosch's behalf--but clearly without his blessing --snipers began taking potshots in downtown Santo Domingo, and leftist and Communist troublemakers took to the streets, jeering "A gigantic fraud," throwing rocks, and scattering leaflets that called for a "massive fight in the streets." "Balaguer," glared one young tough, "might be elected, but he will never rule this city."

Bosch went on the radio and urged his followers to "stay at home and keep calm," while police rushed into trouble areas with tear gas, clubs and rifle butts. When police swooped down on the home of onetime Rebel Adviser Hector Aristy, guards inside opened fire and kept it up for half an hour. When the smoke cleared, two guards were dead. Once inside, police found a large arms cache, but Aristy had apparently fled. At week's end police and Dominican troops seemed to have things under control.

"A Good Feeling." Will Balaguer be able to keep the leftists under control when he takes office July 1? Most Dominicans are hopeful, and Balaguer himself seems determined to follow through on his campaign slogan of "revolution without blood." He promises land for peasants, lower prices, more jobs--and most of all, an end to fighting. "The Dominican people," he says, "need peace and a chance to live a good life." If the leftists do get out of hand, his country's 30,000-man military establishment is solidly behind him. So are the 8,000 remaining troops of the Organization of American States. Even more, he has 57% of the voters--including the peasantry--on his side. "Dominicans," beamed one voter after the election, "have made me proud of my country, of all of us. It's a good feeling. Now I just hope we can follow through."

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