CHILE: Off With His Right Hand

For nearly four months Chile’s President Pedro Aguirre Cerda, whose vineyards and wine complexion brought him the nickname Don Tinto, has had a Cabinet without a single member of his own Radical Party. Last week, however, Don Tinto and his Party got together again.

Bone of contention between the Radicals and Don Tinto was the President’s strong right hand, Minister of the Interior Arturo Olavarria Bravo. Minister Olavarria, also a Radical leader, was drummed out of the Party last spring because the Radicals did not care for stronghand methods or for his outspoken enmity towards their political allies, the Communists.

Partyless, Arturo Olavarria held on to his Cabinet post, which is virtually that of Prime Minister, continued to act as Don Tinto’s right-hand man even after five other Radical Ministers had left the Cabinet on orders of the Party. Since the Radicals were the largest bloc of the Popular Front which had elected Don Tinto, the row brought legislation almost to a standstill.

Last month, Don Tinto found it politically expedient to cut off his right-hand man; Arturo Olavarria resigned from the Cabinet. Last week four Radicals took office. As in most tugs of war, weight of numbers had won.