Cristina Kirchner re-elected as Argentina's president in landslide | World news | The Guardian Argentina Cristina Kirchner re-elected as Argentina's president in landslide One of country's biggest ever electoral victories makes Kirchner first woman in Latin America to retain top office Associated Press in Buenos Aires Sunday 23 October 2011 20.22 EDT First published on Sunday 23 October 2011 20.22 EDT Close This article is 5 years old The Argentinian president, Cristina Kirchner, has been re-elected with one of the widest victory margins in the country's history, a triumph that vindicated her message that she is best able to keep spreading the wealth of an economic boom. Kirchner had nearly 54% of the votes cast in Sunday's election after almost 97% of polling stations had reported. Her nearest challenger got just under 17%. "We need everyone to comprehend … that because of the popular will and this political decision, you can count on me to continue deepening this national project for the 40 million Argentines," she vowed in her victory speech before thousands of supporters on Sunday night.

The goal of this "project" is to profoundly change society by using Argentina's resources to raise incomes, create jobs, restore the country's industrial capacity, reduce poverty and maintain an economic boom that has seen the country grow and reduce poverty. Since she and her predecessor as president, her husband Néstor Kirchner , first moved into Argentina's presidential palace in 2003, the income gap between the country's rich and poor has been reduced by nearly half. Meanwhile, according to the International Monetary Fund's numbers for 2002-2011, Argentina's real GDP has grown 94%, the fastest in the western hemisphere and about twice the rate of Brazil, which has also grown substantially, the economist Mark Weisbrot said. The US president, Barack Obama, "could take a lesson from this", said Weisbrot, co-director of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. "It's an old-fashioned message of democracy: you deliver what you promise and people vote for you.

It's kind of forgotten here in the US." Kirchner noted that she is Latin America's first woman to be re-elected as president, but described the victory as bittersweet, since Kirchner, who died of a heart attack almost a year ago, wasn't there to share it. "This man who transformed Argentina led us all and gave everything he had and more," she said. "Without him, without his valour and courage, it would have been impossible to get to this point." Thousands of jubilant, flag-waving people crowded into the capital's historic Plaza de Mayo to watch on a huge TV screen as she spoke from a downtown hotel, where her supporters interrupted so frequently with their chants that she told them off. She said: "The worst that people can be is small. In history, you always must be bigger still – more generous, more thoughtful, more thankful." She also vowed to protect Argentina from outside threats or special interests. "This woman isn't moved by any interest. The only thing that moves her is profound love for the country. Of that I'm responsible," she said.

Kirchner was on track to win a larger share of votes than any president since Argentina's democracy was restored in 1983, when Raúl Alfonsín was elected with 52%. Her 36-point-plus lead over Hermes Binner, who finished second, was wider than any in history save the 1973 victory of her strongman hero, Juan Domingo Perón – if you count, as many Perónists do, both the 30-point margin he won on the Perónist ticket with his wife Isabel and an additional 7% he won on a second ticket with a different vice-presidential candidate, said Leandro Morganfield, a historian at the University of Buenos Aires. Kirchner's political coalition also appeared to gain strength in Congress, where it will need to form new alliances to regain the control it lost in 2009. At play were 130 seats in the lower house and 24 in the Senate. Most of the nine governors' races contested on Sunday also went to her party.

Kirchner, 58, chose her 48-year-old, guitar-playing, hoodie-wearing economy minister, Amado Boudou, as her running mate and potential successor. Together, they have championed an Argentinian solution to countries facing a debt crisis: nationalise private pensions and use central bank reserves to increase government spending rather than impose austerity measures, and force bondholders to suffer before ordinary citizens. The candidates debated how prepared Argentina was for a global slowdown. Declining commodity and trade revenue will make it harder to raise incomes to keep up with inflation. Argentina's central bank is under pressure to spend reserves to maintain the peso's value against the dollar, while also guarding against currency shocks that could threaten Argentina's all-important trade with Brazil. Kirchner's opposition accused her of failing to contain inflation and crime, of manipulating economic data and using government power to quell criticism. But most voters didn't seem to care.

When Kirchner is inaugurated on 10 December, her Front for Victory coalition will become the first political bloc to begin a third consecutive presidential term since 1928, when Hipólito Yrigoyen of the Radical Civic Union took office as president only to be toppled by a military coup two years later, Morganfield said. Kirchner said: "We have to think of a different country, where whoever comes builds on top of what's already been done. That's the Argentina I dream of, where we have continuity of national political projects for the country." Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner re-elected by record landslide – video | World news | The Guardian Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner re-elected by record landslide – video Cristina Kirchner has been re-elected as Argentina's president by the widest margin in her country's electoral history after her government spread the wealth of a booming economy. Kirchner is Latin America's first female president to win re-election.

It was her first election since her husband and predecessor, Néstor Kirchner, died of a heart attack in October 2010 Source: Reuters Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is reelected - The Washington Post Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is reelected The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set! Got it By Juan Forero By Juan Forero October 23, 2011 BUENOS AIRES — Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner , whose first two years as president were marred by protests and tumbling ratings, made a dramatic turnaround on the back of Argentina’s fast-growing economy and scored a landslide reelection victory Sunday, according to early official returns. With the economy having grown 9 percent last year, Fernandez de Kirchner crushed a fractured opposition that fielded six opponents, all of whom trailed her by at least 35 percentage points.

With 53 percent of Argentines voting for her, according to exit polls, Fernandez de Kirchner’s margin of victory is the widest in a presidential election since democracy replaced a brutal military dictatorship in 1983. The victory was seen as a mandate for Fernandez de Kirchner, 58, to continue unorthodox economic policies rooted in heavy state spending while paying little heed to bondholders trying to collect billions of dollars in unpaid debt. “With what’s happening in the world, you have to feel very proud,” she said as she was mobbed by supporters after casting her vote in the Patagonian provincial city of Rio Gallegos. “After a lifetime of pushing those ideas, we now see that they were not a mistake and that we are on the right path.” As she frequently reminds Argentines, her policies are the same as those of her late husband and predecessor in the presidency, Nestor Kirchner. He took office in 2003, a year after Argentina had descended into economic calamity upon its $100 billion sovereign debt default, the largest in history.

Buoyed by a sharp and sustained demand from China and elsewhere for soy and other Argentine agricultural products, the economy grew at an annual average of 7.6 percent over the past eight years. Kirchner and then his wife, after taking office in 2007, used the windfall to fund cash transfers to poor families, energy subsidies and other social programs. Economists in Argentina say Fernandez de Kirchner’s government has also resorted to doctoring inflation figures, so the official numbers do not reflect the 25 to 30 percent annual rise recorded by private economists. The government has also defiantly fought off lawsuits and other claims from disgruntled creditors chasing down money that is owed to them, which has led to increasing friction with the Obama administration and multinational lenders. Economists and opposition politicians here say that the government’s high-spending ways, coupled with a world economic slowdown, could catch up with Argentina, a country familiar with cyclical booms and busts. “We’re happily dancing on the Titanic,” said one of Fernandez de Kirchner’s challengers, Eduardo Duhalde , who preceded her husband as president.

But the government counters that it is putting Argentines and national sovereignty ahead of international creditors and Washington-based institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Indeed, in speech after speech, the president says her government is looking out for the average Argentine in a way that past governments have not. This “president is president of 40 million Argentines, and our policies will always be ones of social inclusion and the defense of the most vulnerable,” Fernandez de Kirchner said in her closing campaign speech last week. Daniel Peralta, the governor of Santa Cruz, Nestor Kirchner’s home province and the place where Fernandez de Kirchner started her political career, said the political duo succeeded where others had failed by following a nationalistic model developed by Argentina’s 1950s-era strongman, Juan Peron. The model is based on a strong state role in the economy, policies designed to spur internal manufacturing, and pro-labor measures such as subsidies and high wage increases. “What she is doing now is exactly what Peron would have done,” Peralta said in an interview. Fernandez de Kirchner enjoys a popularity rating that tops 60 percent.

At the start of her presidency, though, she was mired in controversy and bitter political battles, which left her and Kirchner, who was at her side as a de facto vice president, weakened. The discovery of a suitcase entering Argentina on a flight from Venezuela with $800,000 led to accusations that the money was a campaign gift from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an ally of Fernandez de Kirchner. More damaging was an angry and sustained tussle with Argentina’s powerful agricultural sector in 2008, which led to protests and paralyzed production after her government raised taxes on soy exports. Then the nationalization of private pension funds frightened Argentines, who worried that the government would spend the money. Fernandez de Kirchner’s popularity rating tumbled to 20 percent, and the government lost control of the National Congress in 2009 as the economy flagged. But economic growth rebounded last year. Then, last October, Nestor Kirchner died of a heart attack. That started a wave of sympathy that helped Fernandez de Kirchner rise steadily in the polls.

Throughout her campaign, the president dressed in black, cried frequently and repeatedly extolled Kirchner’s policies, stressing that she would continue to follow them closely. Marcelo Murua, 38, was among those who strongly supported Fernandez de Kirchner, saying that her policies have offered a sharp break with a past that was harmful to ordinary Argentines. “We were without work. The education system was not working. There was no justice or equality,” he said. “Now there is work, and we are fighting for education for all, for a government that represents us all.” world Profile: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner - BBC News BBC News Profile: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner 8 October 2013 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Cristina Fernandez: First woman elected and re-elected president in Argentina Following the announcement that Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is to undergo surgery, messages of support have been pouring in for the leader. Political adversaries campaigning for the congressional election at the end of the month as well as leaders from the main political forces and regional foreign heads of state have wished her well in messages posted on Twitter. Her operation comes almost three years after the death of her husband and predecessor in the post, Nestor Kirchner.

His death robbed President Fernandez of her closest political confidant. Together, they made a formidable team and were often described as Argentina's power couple. Ms Fernandez secured re-election as president of Argentina in October 2011 with a landslide victory. It was in many ways a dramatic turnaround for Ms Fernandez, whose first term had been beset by rows and low approval ratings. While still a popular figure among low-income families and rural Argentines, who have benefited from the government's social policies, Ms Fernandez's honeymoon with the urban middle class seems to be over now. In recent months, thousands have marched against rising prices, government restrictions on the purchase of US dollars, and high crime levels. 'Wives' duel' Cristina, as the majority of Argentines call her, has often been described as a strong-willed woman, obsessed with her image. But she is also a politician with a long track record. She was born on 19 February 1953 in La Plata, the capital of the province of Buenos Aires, where she graduated in law. She married Mr Kirchner, whom she met at university, in 1975.

A year later, the couple went to live in his home region, the southern province of Santa Cruz. At the end of the 1980s, she embarked on her political career, first as a provincial then as a national deputy. But it was her husband who rose through the ranks of the Peronist polictical movement. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Ther Kirchners influenced and advised each other In 1991, Mr Kirchner was elected governor of Santa Cruz. He won two more terms, while Ms Fernandez supported him as a deputy. When Mr Kirchner took office as president in 2003 - in the midst of one of the worst economic and social crises in the country - a similar pattern emerged. By then Cristina Fernandez was a senator with her own political weight in Congress, where she actively supported her husband's policies that included boosting social spending. Ms Fernandez cemented her political position in the congressional elections of 2005.

Taking 46% of the votes, she won in the province of Buenos Aires in a contest dubbed "the wives' duel", beating her main rival, Hilda Gonzalez, the wife of the former President Eduardo Duhalde (2002-2003). During Mr Kirchner's administration, there was almost no decision taken in which she did not have a say, her influence exceeding that of an ordinary lawmaker. She was also the first senator to have an office within the presidential palace, provoking criticism from the opposition. The governing party insisted that the office was small and was hers by virtue of her position as first lady. Continuity Occupying the presidential palace, the Casa Rosada, in her own right, President Fernandez has broadly continued her husband's policies. I have the honour to be the first woman to be re-elected in the country. What more could I want? Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina There have been further moves to address human rights abuses of the past. Argentina also became the first country in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriages. Under her, Argentina renewed contacts with the International Monetary Fund after years of hostility and moved to renew negotiations over paying Argentina's debts to the Paris Club of lender nations.

While Argentina has recovered from the economic woes of the early 2000s, there is persistent, and under-reported, high inflation and many Argentines still live in poverty. President Fernandez has also been frequently at odds with the nation's powerful agricultural sector. Cristina Fernandez has been, perhaps inevitably, compared to Eva Peron, Argentina's legendary first lady who formed a formidable ruling partnership with her husband Juan Domingo Peron in the late 1940s and early 50s. But Evita was never elected. Cristina Fernandez, by contrast, was the country's first elected female president. "I have the honour to be the first woman to be re-elected in the country. What more could I want," President Fernandez told supporters after her victory on 23 October .

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Re-elected in Landslide ‹ The Argentina Independent President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Re-elected in Landslide 24th October 2011 Jorge Santander 4 President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and VP-elect Amado Election (Photo courtesy of CFK Argentina) With over 98% of the votes counted, incumbent president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Frente para la Victoria won 53.96% of the votes, securing her presidency for four more years. Her closest opponent came in far behind with a margin of more than 35 points. Yesterday’s election results are yet another stride in Cristina Fernández’ political career. She had already stepped into history when in 2007 she became the first female to be elected president of Argentina. Today, gender aside, her victory is among the most emphatic in the country’s last 100 years. Only two presidents have won with a higher share of the votes: Hipólito Yrigoyen, first president of the Unión Cívica Radical (UCR) party; and Juan Domingo Perón, creator of the Justicialista party and the Peronism movement.

There were other, smaller victories. In a surprise result, Hermes Binner from the Alianza Frente Amplio Progresista came second with just 16.87% of the vote, having gained on his nearest rivals by collecting over 5% more of the vote than in the August’s primaries . In response to some accusations, Binner said that he will not be a mere supporter of the FpV: “We will be the alternative in the Congress.” Despite August’s primaries placing UCR candidate Ricardo Alfonsín second, he came in third with just 11% of the ballots. Eduardo Duhalde from the Alianza Frente Popular, on his revival in politics after disappearing since 2003, obtained almost ten percentage points fewer than in the primaries, coming in fifth. Alberto Rodriguez Sáa, candidate of Alizana Compromiso Federal ended up fourth. The former governor of San Luis proudly said: “My province is the only one she has yet to win.” The worst night was for the candidate of the Coalición Cívica.

Leader Elisa Carrió said: “It’s the worse election of our history.” In the presidential elections of 2007 Carrió came second with 23% of the votes. And in the mid-term elections of 2009 her party obtained more votes nationwide than the FpV, when the president’s popularity rating fell below 30%. Yesterday, Carrió picked up a mere 1.84%, leaving her party at the bottom of the list. The days leading up to the elections lacked the typical pre-election fervor. Instead, there was more of a resigned “she has already won” in the public’s mind. Opposition parties campaigned for voters to cast their ballots in favour of their congressmen as they gave up on the idea of overtaking Cristina Fernández’ lead. This scepticism was due to the results of the primaries of 14th August. Cristina and her son Maximiliano (Photo courtesy of CFK Argentina) In her words After all her rival candidates had spoke publicly, the president appeared on the stand dressed in black and started her speech calmly.

Meanwhile, supporters there started cheering against Julio Cobos, her first term vice-president, who will be replaced by Amado Boudou during the second term. She chastised them quickly, saying: “Stop or I’ll get mad: in victory one must be more generous and thankful.” Her tone became fervid when she mentioned her late husband, Néstor Kirchner, to whom she dedicated her victory and called “one of the best political figures Argentina has had.” She went on to criticise the local press, saying “Some who have microphones talk about institutions but then demolish them slowly”, claiming that before the new media law they used to be untouchables who nobody could challenge, and politicians had to beg for a minute more on television or a couple more lines in the newspaper columns. The president then marked the significance of continuity. She then specified: “Not a personal continuity, the importance of a political project of the nation.” This statement could be interpreted as a way of saying that she will not try to change the constitution in order to have unlimited re-elections, as some politicians such as Carrió are warning.

In March 2011 the president said while addressing the Congress: “If I have not reached a simple majority to pass the budget bill, who could possibly think of a Constitutional reform?” Now that voters have granted her control of the legislature some believe she might try to establish unlimited re-elections. She concluded her speech remembering her husband: “I know he is here right now, more than ever.” Later, her daughter Florencia and son Maximiliano – who is slowly gaining presence in politics – joined her on stage, to close the election night victory dancing and celebrating in Plaza de Mayo in front of thousands of people. Daniel Scioli and Cristina on the campaign trail (Photo courtesy of Daniel Scioli Flickr) Buenos Aires Province mirrors Argentina In the most populated province of the country, the presidential elections were simultaneous to the elections for governor. The candidate of the FpV, Daniel Scioli, was re-elected with 55% of the votes and leaving far behind the rest of the candidates. The resemblance to Cristina Fernández’ victory is clear as even the gap between the percentages of the candidates are almost identical. Both elections reflect not only the popularity of Kirchnerism but also the apparent downfall of opposite parties.

In Buenos Aires the UDESO candidate Francisco de Narváez came in second with 15.87% of the ballots; and Margarita Stolbizer for the same party as Hermes Binner ended up in third place with 11.68% of the votes. Moreover, in Buenos Aires’s ballot there was also a candidate who in the mid term elections of 2009 received more votes than the FpV; and whose popularity today has weaken considerably. In 2009, Francisco De Narváez had reached a higher percentage of votes than Néstor Kirchner and Daniel Scioli himself. However, yesterday De Narváez could not manage to sustain his achievements, just as Elisa Carrió. Daniel Scioli dedicated his triumph to the president and also mentioned Néstor Kirchner:”I had the privilege of accompanying him and starting this national project that Cristina [Fernández de] Kirchner is continuing magisterially.” In the province the blank votes surpassed the normal levels, reaching 12% of the votes, more votes than those collected by Stolbizer.

Scioli’s victory leaves him as a possible candidate of the FpV in 2015 as President Fernández is not allowed to run for a third term. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Wins Re-election by a Landslide – COHA Source: AP Behind Every Great Man, There is a Great Woman On October 23, 2011, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was re-elected by one of the widest margins in the country’s history. Sra. de Kirchner obtained fifty-four percent of the votes while her challenger, socialist Hermes Binner, acquired just seventeen percent. The provincial elections also confirmed the victory of Kirchner’s Peronist coalition; seven of eight governors were elected from the ranks of the ruling Frente para la Victoria. Ultimately, the opposition had hobbled itself by failing to unite behind a single candidate. Rivals like Eduardo Duhalde, a dissident Peronist, and Ricardo Alfonsín, member of the Radical Civil Union, divided the anti-Kirchner vote. The most likely successful candidate would have been Mauricio Macri, leader of the center-right, had he not declined to run.

Macri is probably working up to the 2015 election, for which Kirchner will no longer be able to run due to constitutional rules that do not permit a president to exceed more than two consecutive terms. Kirchner’s successful re-election has been mainly due to economic growth under her administration, and this year alone, the growth rate is expected to increase to eight percent. This upward trend was stimulated in part by private consumption and investment, as well as the devaluation of the Argentinepeso, which makes Argentine exports more competitive in foreign markets. Since Argentina defaulted on USD 95 billion of debt nine years ago, the economy has done remarkably well. From 2002-2011, according to IMF data, Argentina’s economy has grown by about ninety-four percent, the fastest economic growth rate in the Western Hemisphere. In the international arena, Kirchner renewed contact with the IMF that Néstor Kirchner had previously broke off, and debt negotiations with the Paris Club, an informal group that provides financial services. The Kirchner administration also instituted subsidies for transport and utilities and introduced several social programs. One such program provides a monthly per-child economic subsidy to families of which parents are unemployed or work in the informal sector.

This stipend is contingent on children’s regular school attendance, vaccinations, and health checkups. The Kirchner welfare policy has generally been a success, reducing extreme poverty and increasing employment to record levels. However, critics of Kirchner contend that the economy is only booming due to high commodity prices and strong demand from China and Brazil, factors that may be undermined by a potential global economic downturn. In addition, political opponents of Kirchner have repeatedly accused her government of tampering with economic statistics. Argentina’s official annual inflation rate is nine percent; however, the IMF and other economists suggest that the true rate is three times as high. Critics also say that Kirchner has not been able to attract foreign investment. In fact, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America, Argentina receives relatively little foreign direct investment, lagging behind Colombia and Peru and receiving less than half the amount flowing into Chile. In her victory speech on Sunday, October 23, 2011 in Plaza De Mayo, Kirchner said that she wanted to continue fostering Argentina’s strong growth: “All I want is to keep collaborating…to keep Argentina growing.

I want to keep changing history.” She also mentioned her husband, stating, “This is a strange night for me; this man who transformed Argentina led us all and gave everything he had and more. Without him, without his valor and courage, it would have been impossible to get to this point.” Despite the economic progress under the Kirchner administrations, a great deal remains to be done to reduce the existing gap between a rich minority and an impoverished majority and to reduce the high inflation. If Kirchner now wants to enable a durable and robust growth in Argentina, she must act to ensure the diversification of productive activities, as has transpired in Brazil and Chile. Similar to what happened in Chile with its exploitation of copper, the excessive dependence on the exploitation of raw materials could prevent Buenos Aires from breaking free of the so-called “resource curse” and prevent it from flying. This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Sara Bruzichis Argentina: Cristina Kirchner re-elected president | Calamatta Cuschieri (Malta) Argentina: Cristina Kirchner re-elected president 24th October 2011 Tweet President Cristina Kirchner was re-elected for a second four-year term, her last under the Argentine constitution.

The new government will be sworn in on December 10, 2011. By 01:00 New York time, with 79% of the votes counted, Cristina Kirchner had 53.8% of the votes, followed by Hermes Binner (16.9%), Ricardo Alfonsin (11.1%), Alberto Rodriguez Saa and (7.9%) and Eduardo Duhalde (6%). The Left Party got 2.3% of the votes, closely followed by Carrio, which received 1.8%. Although President Kirchner signaled in last night’ victory speech that she is not planning to run for re-election in 2015, it is widely believed that succession issues will emerge immediately. In terms of votes in congress, it seems that it will be challenging for her to put together the two-thirds majority needed to reform the constitution in the Senate, although it seems more likely in the lower house. That said, possibility constitutional reform to switch to a parliamentary system will be essential to keep the Peronist members aligned behind Cristina Kirchner.

Many commentators point out that the political situation is unstable, and at some point, tensions could eventually build within the Peronists, as some Peronist governors may have sufficient chances to be elected in 2015 presidential election, and/or some might be facing their last term. People like Scioli, Capitanich, Urtubey and Rodriguez Saa, are some who are likely to be in an uncomfortable position. In last night’ speech, Cristina Kirchner’ made little effort to share her victory with anyone other than her husband and former president Nestor Kirchner, who died last year. It did not seem that she will rely heavily on the Peronist Party to select the people to run the government, although due to the lack of alternative leadership in the party, Peronists may line up behind her (following Felipe Sola) in the first phase of her government. The president could choose to lead the Peronist Party, or to put someone she trusts in that position (both scenarios seem equally likely to us at this point). In her speech last night, she did not hint at any change in policy. In contrast, she called for a deepening of the policies that have been so effective up to now.

This could be interpreted as being in line with no reshuffling of the cabinet in December 2011. If she were to change policies, she would likely use the new government as an opportunity to make meaningful changes in the cabinet, signal change, and this is the opposite of what seems to be in the works. For now, it seems the cabinet will rotate, rather than change. In terms of market reaction, it is widely expected that last night results will not have any significant impact. The election results seem to have been fully priced in. However, one should expect more headline risk going forward, as the presidential campaign is in the rear-view mirror, and the empowered administration rushes to address looming economic challenges with the same policies. CC Spotlight Argentine President Kirchner Aims at Re-Election - The New York Times The New York Times Americas |Argentine President Overcoming Doldrums Search Continue reading the main story Photo President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina inaugurating the new session of Congress in March in Buenos Aires.

Credit Diego Giudice/Bloomberg News BUENOS AIRES — President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner unveiled a 10-story-high tribute to Evita Perón last month, dedicating the forged-steel portrait on the side of a government building to the memory of a woman she has often invoked in speeches to supporters. “Let the symbol of Evita be a symbol for the unity of all Argentines,” Mrs. Kirchner said at the unveiling of the portrait, which was her idea. Mrs. Kirchner may never achieve the popularity of Mrs. Peron, an actress who married President Juan Perón and became beloved for fighting for social justice before dying of cancer in 1952. But she is fighting to be mentioned in the same breath one day and may have more of a chance now that she appears to be heading toward re-election in October, aided by a splintered opposition and a growing economy that is overshadowing previous concerns about her polarizing leadership style. The first real test of Mrs. Kirchner’s chances — and of analysts’ predictions that she will win handily — will come Sunday, when the country holds a national primary.

Voting is mandatory, and people are allowed to cast their ballots for members of any party, so the results should provide a good indicator of whether Mrs. Kirchner could win Oct. 23 and avoid a runoff. Continue reading the main story According to several recent polls, Mrs. Kirchner, 58, is expected to get enough votes to secure a second four-year term without going to a runoff. Her nearest competitor in the polls is Ricardo Alfonsín, a congressman from the Radical Civic Union Party, who appears to be trailing badly. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “The lack of a strong opposition candidate has created the feeling that she is invincible,” said Graciela Romer, a political analyst in Buenos Aires. The change in perception represents a stunning turnaround for Mrs. Kirchner, who just two years ago seemed a long shot to be re-elected, in part because she clashed with one of the country’s most powerful interests: farmers. But after her husband, former President Néstor Kirchner, died in October, Mrs. Kirchner rode a wave of sympathy and has seen her popularity surge to a record high.

Still, recent losses by candidates from her center-left wing of the Peronist Party in municipal elections in Buenos Aires and Santa Fe — and an inability to field a candidate in an election for governor last Sunday in Cordoba — have shown that anti-Kirchner sentiment remains strong in some quarters, particularly among rural voters. The mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, won re-election last month with 64 percent of the vote, easily defeating Mrs. Kirchner’s candidate, Daniel Filmus. The president has also lost backing from many traditional Peronists for steering to the left and for her antibusiness remarks. They have also been troubled that she has filled her ballot with young people who have risen out of her La Cámpora movement, run by her son Máximo, and who support her policy of taxing exports to support social welfare programs. (In Argentina , during presidential elections, candidates for the legislature run on a party ticket with the presidential candidate.) Federico MacDougall, an economist and political analyst at the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires, said that while Mrs. Kirchner was currently “cruising” toward victory, relying so heavily on La Cámpora could backfire if it drives away more conservative Peronists.

In the end, most analysts believe that neither the loss of some party support nor the losses suffered by Mrs. Kirchner’s candidates in local elections will significantly affect her chances. “These are local elections defined mostly by local dynamics,” said Daniel Kerner, an analyst with Eurasia Group, a political risk consulting firm. The bigger reason to bet on Mrs. Kirchner, analysts say, is the roaring Argentine economy, which has grown at an average of 8 percent in recent years, with low unemployment and with wage increases — thanks to unions closely aligned with the president — that continue to roughly keep pace with the high rate of inflation. (Private analysts have estimated the rate to be more than 20 percent, while the government says it is less than half as high.) Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mrs. Kirchner effectively continued the economic policies set by her husband, including keeping a relatively cheap peso to make exports more competitive and retaining heavy subsidies on food and fuel to encourage consumer spending. Opposition candidates, including Mr. Alfonsín, the son of former President Raúl Alfonsín, and former President Eduardo Duhalde, have so far failed to persuade Argentines they could offer a more successful economic strategy.

Even with higher prices for goods at home as a result of inflation, Argentines have felt they have more purchasing power abroad, especially as inflation outpaces any gains in relative currency values, and many middle-class Argentines once again have the money to travel to Miami or New York. Mrs. Kirchner’s earlier troubles started even before she was elected. Her reputation suffered after the discovery of a suitcase filled with $800,000 that American prosecutors say was campaign contributions from Venezuelan officials, though no evidence ever surfaced that she had direct knowledge of the money or the intent of those who collected it. Analysts said her popularity continued to slide during a protracted battle with farmers over agricultural taxes and after moves to nationalize private pension funds in what many saw as an effort to bolster state coffers. Those episodes caused her approval rating to plummet below 30 percent, deepened her reputation as a heavy-handed, combative leader, and scared off many foreign investors. Mrs. Kirchner refocused her efforts after her husband — who was widely considered to be unofficially managing economic policy — suffered a humiliating defeat in elections for a congressional seat.

She continued a battle against the media giant Grupo Clarín, for instance, but since his death she seemed to soften her tone, re-inspiring supporters and persuading independents to back her, analysts said. “After Néstor died, that conflictive part of her government disappeared and she was on her own, and people began to fantasize that Cristina would begin to assume the role she had promised in the campaign of 2007,” Ms. Romer, the analyst, said. Those promises included maintaining the country’s positive economic performance while expanding social programs, fighting for human rights and improving income distribution, she said. Mrs. Kirchner has begun to make good on her promises. Still, many in the business community are not cheering the prospect of her re-election. High inflation has hurt the economy’s competitiveness, imports are rising rapidly and energy problems are mounting from the lack of foreign investment. Worries about long-term stability remain high enough that some are betting against the economy. Mr. Kerner said that much of the money that is coming into the country from exports is leaving in the form of capital flight of about $2 billion a month. “The model is operating under a lot of stress and is starting to collapse,” he said.

But economists have been incorrectly predicting the collapse of the Argentine economy for several years, and Argentines, in any case, are not known for taking a long view. Most seem to favor maintaining the economic status quo, Mr. Kerner said, and “no one thinks anyone else can do it better” than Mrs. Kirchner. Charles Newberry contributed reporting. A version of this article appears in print on August 14, 2011, on Page A9 of the New York edition with the headline: Argentine President Overcoming Doldrums. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Cristina Kirchner on Argentina's Future - The Globalist Cristina Kirchner on Argentina's Future How does Argentina’s recently re-elected president envision her country’s future? By The Globalist , January 9, 2012 Takeaways In October 2011, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was reelected as President of Argentina by a wide margin. She was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent surgery, which gave rise to a deep outpouring of support for the popular leader. Our Read My Lips presents her vision for Argentina's future. 1. What made your reelection historic?

“I have the honor to be the first woman to be reelected in the country. What more could I want?" (October 2011) 2. Do women bring a unique perspective to politics? “Women bring a different face to politics. We see the big geopolitical picture — but also the smaller, daily details of citizens’ lives." (February 2008) 3. How so? "We’re wrapped up as much in what our daughter’s school principal says as we are in what the newspapers are saying.” (February 2008) 4. What's the main goal of your second term in office? “Count on me to continue deepening a national project that has helped to improve the lives of 41 million Argentines." (October 2011) 5. Are you committed to changing Argentina? “We have to think of a different country, where whoever comes builds on top of what’s already been done." (October 2011) 6. Can you be considered an activist president? "That’s the Argentina I dream of, where we have continuity of national political projects for the country.” (October 2011) 7. What ideal guides your presidency?

“This woman isn’t moved by any interest. The only thing that moves her is profound love for the country. Of that I’m responsible." (October 2011) Argentina: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Facts, Guide & Travel/Holidays/Cities Marci Wins Presidential Runoff President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Easily Wins Second Term On October 23, 2011, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was easily re-elected for a second term. Her victory came just two years after her approval rating fell below 30 percent due to her unpopular combative leadership style, which came under scrutiny during a dispute over agricultural export taxes. However, Argentina is currently undergoing an economic boom despite economists' predictions that the plan put into place by Fernández's late husband, former President Néstor Kirchner, was doomed. That economic plan, which relies heavily on government subsidies, has been further orchestrated by President Fernández. Argentina's economy is expected to grow 8 percent in 2011, making it the fastest growing country in Latin America. Since 2007, the poverty rate has been cut by more than half.

The employment rate has reached record highs and the country's agricultural products are in strong demand from China. In this election, voters looked past red flags such as rising inflation. In 2010, inflation rose over 20 percent, second only to Venezuela in Latin America. Clearly what mattered most to voters was a booming economy. President Fernández won with 54 percent of the vote. Her closest opponent received 17 percent. With a margin of 37 percent, it was the widest victory since Argentina restored its democracy in 1983. In December 2011, a spokesman for President Fernández announced that she had thyroid cancer and would undergo surgery on January 4. During a televised address the spokesman said there was "no existence of metastasis." The announcement came less than two months after Fernández was re-elected to a new four-year term. In 2010, Argentina was shocked when Fernández's husband, the country's previous president, died of a heart attack at age 60. The news of Fernández's diagnosis also shook up a country that has long revered Eva "Evita" Peron, wife of legendary leader Juan Peron.

Peron died of cancer in 1952 at age 33. Like Eva Peron, Fernández is popular for her efforts to help the impoverished. President Fernández was one of several leaders in the region recently diagnosed with cancer. President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil was treated for lymphoma in 2009. In 2010, Paraguay's president, Fernando Lugo, was treated for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Venezuela's Hugo Chávez underwent treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer in 2011. In early January 2012, President Fernández's surgery was carried out without complications, putting her on course to return to work as planned later in the month.

Question: Cristina Kirchner was re-elected president of which country in October 2011?
Answer: Argentina