Where on Earth is former President Carlos Menem?

Where on earth is Carlos Menem?

Argentina’s political establishment was asking itself that question Wednesday after the ex-president-turned-senator failed to show up for a key Senate meeting.

Opposition Senators had agreed to meet Wednesday to divvy up power on a wide range of Senate committees, leaving the ruling Frente Para la Victoria party in the minority for the first time since it came to power in 2003.

The opposition needed all 37 of its senators present to rest power from the Kirchners and the FPV party. Having the 37 votes would have given the opposition a slight edge over the FPV, which now has just 36 senators.

But Menem, who was supposed to appear and vote with the opposition, was nowhere to be found. I called Menem’s spokesman to ask about the senator’s whereabouts.

“I haven’t talked with him for two months,” said the spokesman, seeming somewhat embarrassed. “One person who saw him recently told me that he had gone to the airport in La Rioja this morning to travel to the capital for the vote. Another said Menem would only travel if his vote was crucial. Nobody knows anything about him. I spoke with Menem’s brother, too, and even he didn’t know where the senator was. Unfortunately, I don’t have any more information for you. Nobody in Menem’s office has had any contact with him. I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything else.”

What?

Did I really just have that conversation? Very odd. How is this possible? How could Menem’s office and spokesman not have a clue about his whereabouts?

Local media have reported that the government has been trying to woo the former president into ditching the opposition, even if just momentarily, so that the FPV can conserve its power in the Senate.

Whatever the case, Argentina’s controversial ex president was nowhere to be found Wednesday, one more indication that the once omnipresent, virtually omnipotent politician has fallen far from the pinnacle of power he occupied less a decade ago.

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