Argentina is voting to choose the country’s next president in a general election that ends 12 years of rule under the Kirchners.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has served two consecutive terms and, under Argentina’s constitution, cannot run again.
Cristina Fernandez’s hand-picked successor, left-winger Daniel Scioli, is leading polls.
However, Daniel Scioli he is expected to face stiff competition from Mauricio Macri, the centre-right mayor of Buenos Aires.
Another candidate, Sergio Massa, a former Kirchner ally, is polling behind Mauricio Macri, while there are three other names on the ballot paper.
Today is the first round of voting – if no candidate gets more than 45% of the vote, or gets a minimum of 40% as well as a 10-point lead, there will be a run-off on November 22.
Whoever wins the presidency faces significant economic challenges.
Photo AP
While Argentina gained strength after a financial crisis in 2002, its economy, the third largest in Latin America, has slowed down in recent years, with GDP growing by only 0.5% in 2014.
The government is also locked in a battle against American hedge funds who disagree with how is wants to restructure $100 billion of debt on which it defaulted in 2001.
While the companies successfully sued Argentina for repayment, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner refused to pay.
She succeeded her husband Nestor Kirchner as president. He died in 2010, three years after handing over the presidency to his wife.
Daniel Scioli, the governor of Buenos Aires province, is a former world powerboating champion who lost his right arm in a boat race in 1989.
Last week, he pledged tax cuts for middle-class workers earning under a certain income, a move expected to affect half a million people.
Daniel Scioli has also vowed to bring down Argentina’s inflation to single digits in less than four years and promises to introduce policy changes to invigorate the economy.
Like Daniel Scioli, Mauricio Macri is married to a former model. He is a former president of Boca Juniors, Argentina’s most successful soccer club.
While Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has sought to press Argentina’s claims for the disputed UK territory of the Falkland Islands, Daniel Scioli says he would not appoint a Falklands minister, and would seek closer ties with London.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has made her first public appearance in six weeks, ending a long silence that led to questions about her health following brain surgery.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was welcomed by hundreds of supporters at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires.
In a televised address, she announced a plan to help unemployed young people.
The president dismissed speculation about her health and criticized Argentina’s media.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was welcomed by hundreds of supporters at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had an operation on October 8 to remove a blood clot from her brain and returned to work on November 18.
But she had not spoken in public since a high-profile ceremony in Buenos Aires on December 10.
“They wanted to create the impression among the Argentine people that I couldn’t do it anymore,” she said, referring to the media, which is largely hostile to her government.
“The truth is I had some problems, but I would like to see who, facing the same problems, would have continued to govern for 40 million Argentines,” the president said.
“I hope nobody criticizes this nationally televised address after demanding my presence so much,” she added ironically.
The opposition said Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had “disappeared” as the country’s economic crisis worsened.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has received medical clearance from doctors to return to work.
A month ago Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner underwent surgery to remove a brain clot on her brain.
A government spokesman, Alfredo Scoccimarro, said the results from scans the president had on Friday had been satisfactory.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, 60, is expected to resume her official duties on Monday.
“On Monday there will be a medical re-evaluation to determine the pace at which she can resume her daily tasks,” said Alfredo Scoccimarro.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has received medical clearance from doctors to return to work
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner won’t be allowed to fly for at least another 30 days, and she’ll undergo further tests on December 9.
The Argentine president had surgery on October 8 to remove blood that had pooled on the surface of her brain after she fell and knocked her head.
While Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been receiving treatment, her allies have suffered heavy losses in mid-term elections that reduced her majority in congress, ending any speculation that she may try to amend the constitution to allow her to run for a third term in office.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is due to leave office in two years time.
Argentina is voting for legislative election – a key test for President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
The mid-term elections will determine how much control left-leaning Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will have during the final two years of her presidency.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been out of action during the campaign following emergency brain surgery earlier in October.
She is currently constitutionally barred from running for a third term in office.
Many see Sunday’s elections as the start of the race to replace her.
The mid-term elections will determine how much control left-leaning Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will have during the final two years of her presidency
Voters will choose 127 members of the 257-strong Chamber of Deputies and a third of the Senate’s 72 members.
Correspondents say that if her Front for Victory (FPV) party fares badly, it may signal an end to more than a decade of Kirchner family rule in Argentina.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s late husband Nestor ran the country between 2003 and 2007, when he was succeeded as president by his wife. She was then elected for a second term in 2011.
Although her party is still strong on a nationwide level, high inflation, insecurity and currency controls have weakened its support among middle class families.
Former cabinet chief Sergio Massa is ahead of her candidate Martin Insaurralde in the key province of Buenos Aires.
Sergio Massa, currently mayor of the tourist town of Tigre, says he wants to put an end to Kirchner family rule when he runs for president in two years.
He was elected mayor as a member of the Front for Victory, but left the party in June 2013 to establish the Renewal Front.
Currently, the constitution limits the number of consecutive presidential terms to two, and a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament would be needed to amend it.
The August primaries indicated that Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner may struggle to keep control of Congress, let alone build up a two-thirds majority.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was told by doctors earlier this month to stop her congressional election campaign after having surgery to remove a blood clot on her brain following a head injury in August.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will undergo surgery on Tuesday to treat bleeding on her brain, doctors have said.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, 60, was earlier ordered to rest for a month after doctors discovered the subdural hematoma.
The subdural hematoma was diagnosed as she was undergoing tests for another condition on Saturday.
This means Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will have to suspend campaigning for congressional elections.
The break from campaigning is considered awkward for the president as some opinion polls have suggested the government could lose control of Congress in the poll on October 27.
Medical experts say recovering from this type of surgery is a long process, and her lay-off is now likely to be longer than a month.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will undergo surgery to treat bleeding on her brain
The president’s spokesman, Alfredo Scoccimarro, had issued a statement on Sunday saying her doctors had carried out a brain scan in August after a previously undisclosed trauma – thought to be caused by a fall.
They found nothing untoward, but on Saturday, she went to hospital for checks for an irregular heartbeat and also complained of headaches.
A further scan revealed the subdural hematoma – bleeding between the brain and the skull.
The hospital treating her said on Monday she had experienced a slight loss of muscular strength in her left arm the day before.
Doctors said she needed surgery to drain the subdural hematoma.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was first elected in 2007 and then returned to power by a comfortable majority in 2011.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s husband, former President Nestor Kirchner, died after a heart attack in 2010.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been ordered to take a month off work after bleeding was found on her brain.
The 60-year-old Argentine president was undergoing medical checks for another condition when the bleeding – a subdural hematoma – was discovered.
Vice-President Amado Boudou is flying back from France to take over her duties.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been campaigning ahead of congressional elections.
The break from campaigning is considered awkward for the president as some opinion polls have suggested the government could lose control of Congress in the poll on October 27.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been ordered to take a month off work after bleeding was found on her brain
Her spokesman, Alfredo Scoccimarro, issued a statement saying her doctors had carried out a brain scan in August after a previously undisclosed trauma – thought to be caused by a fall.
However, they found nothing untoward.
On Saturday, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner went to hospital for checks for an irregular heartbeat and also complained of headaches.
A further scan revealed the subdural hematoma – bleeding between the brain and the skull.
The condition is said to be “chronic” but not “acute” according to the presidential statement, and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will not be staying in hospital.
Her doctors are to monitor the bleeding using imaging technology.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a centre-left Peronist, was first elected in 2007 and then returned to power by a comfortable majority in 2011.
There have been hints that she may seek a third term, though Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has never confirmed this.
This would also require a change to the constitution – only possible if her party keeps control of Congress.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has criticized her country’s elite for trying to create a negative image of her government.
“These small sectors have done well through history, they have kept the lion’s share,” Cristina Fernandez said in an interview with state television.
The president added that most Argentines are better off now than when she came to power.
“Argentina is growing by 5% a year in a world that is collapsing,” she said.
She accused the country’s media of misleadingly “creating an image people believe in”.
“Many want to go to back to the Argentina of the past, where labor cost was much lower and profit margins from speculation much higher,” Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner told Television Publica.
She said privileged sectors in Argentina “have failed to learn from history, or believe that history can be repeated indefinitely.”
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has criticized her country’s elite for trying to create a negative image of her government
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s government had reduced unemployment and raised the standard of living, she said, through successful development and growth public policies.
She said Argentina’s transformation began when her late husband, Nestor Kirchner, took office as president in May 2003.
Nestor Kirchner took over a country recovering for the financial collapse which culminated in street riots at the end of 2001.
Argentina enjoyed several years of strong economic growth during his government.
Nestor Kirchner was succeeded by Cristina Fernandez, who was first elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011 with 54% of the vote.
But her popularity has since declined, according to opinion polls, and protesters have taken to the streets to denounce widespread corruption and high inflation.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has also had a difficult relationship with the country’s media. Under her government, the Congress approved a new media law that critics say restricts freedom press.
She also introduced tighter regulations for Argentines attempting to buy foreign currency.
In her interview with state television, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said the measure was necessary.
“As president I look after the interests of 40 million Argentines. So, as I don’t print dollars, I need dollars to pay the debt I haven’t created.”
Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica has apologized for apparently referring to Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as an “old hag”.
In a radio interview Jose Mujica offered “heartfelt apologies” and blamed the quip on his “rough language skills”.
Last week, Jose Mujica was overheard saying: “This old hag is even worse than the cross-eyed man.”
It was claimed that the Uruguayan president referred to Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her late husband, whom she succeeded as president.
Cristina Fernandez’s husband, Nestor Kirchner, had a lazy eye. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 2010.
Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica has apologized for apparently referring to Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as an old hag
The comments, meant to be private, were accidentally caught and recorded by a nearby open microphone.
Jose Mujica’s words caused outrage in Argentina and led to an official protest.
In an interview to radio M24 on Thursday, Jose Mujica put the comments down to his “rough” past life in an armed group.
“We can’t avoid that our daily and intimate manner of speaking is sometimes rough,” the president said, adding that it has been shaped by spending many years in prison cells and detention.
“This kind of language is miles away from public speeches, from the press. It has only to do with intimate relationships between very few.”
Jose Mujica made the controversial comments at the start of a news conference while speaking quietly to another official.
El Observador newspaper posted the audio on its website, claiming that the president did not realize that the microphones were on.
The newspaper said that its website had crashed because of historically high levels of traffic generated by its coverage of the incident. It also gained the attention of social media.
Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman summoned the Uruguayan ambassador in Buenos Aires, Guillermo Pomi, to protest about the comments.
Correspondents say that President Jose Mujica, 77, who took office in 2010, has clashed in the past both with Cristina Fernandez and Nestor Kirchner.
Relations between Uruguay and Argentina have recently been strained because of concern in Montevideo over what it sees as protectionist measures enforced by Buenos Aires.
Nestor Kirchner was Argentina’s president from 2003 to 2007. His wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner succeeded him and won re-election in 2011.
Argentina has made an official protest after Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica was caught on microphone apparently referring to President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as an “old hag”.
President Jose Mujica was overheard saying: “This old hag is even worse than the one-eyed man.” (Esta vieja es peor que el tuerto.)
A Uruguayan newspaper has posted audio of Jose Mujica’s comments on its website.
It has claimed that Jose Mujica was referring to Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her late husband, who she succeeded as president.
Cristina Fernandez’s husband, Nestor Kirchner, had a lazy eye. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 2010.
Uruguayan President Jose Mujica was caught on microphone apparently referring to Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as an old hag
President Jose Mujica has denied that he had been talking about the Kirchners, but has so far failed to explain who else he was referring to.
Jose Mujica made the comments at the start of a news conference while speaking quietly with another official.
El Observador newspaper posted the audio on its website, claiming that the president did not realize that the microphones were on.
The newspaper said that its website has crashed because of historically high levels of traffic generated by its coverage of the incident which has also gained the attention of social media.
Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman summoned the Uruguayan ambassador in Buenos Aires, Guillermo Pomi, to protest about the comments.
“It is unacceptable that derogatory comments that offend the memory… of a deceased person, who cannot defend himself, have been made, particularly by someone to whom Nestor Kirchner considered his friend,” a statement issued by the foreign ministry said.
Correspondents say that President Jose Mujica, 77, a former guerrilla leader who took office in 2010, has clashed in the past both with Cristina Fernandez and Nestor Kirchner.
Relations between Uruguay and Argentina have recently been strained because of concern in Montevideo over what it sees as protectionist measures enforced by Buenos Aires.
Nestor Kirchner was Argentina’s president from 2003 to 2007. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner succeeded him and won re-election in 2011.
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