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From The Times

October 30, 2007

First lady takes command after big victory

The new president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez Kirchner

Tom Hennigan in Buenos Aires

Argentina’s first lady was preparing to form the country’s next government yesterday after storming to victory in the elections at the weekend.

Cristina Fernández Kirchner will take office on December 10 to become Argentina’s first elected presidenta. It will be the first time that a president has handed over the sash of office to his wife after a democratic vote.

Riding the economic boom that her husband, the populist President Kirchner, has overseen during four years in office and helped by the support of the state apparatus which he put at her disposal, Mrs Kirchner won almost 45 per cent of the vote. A lead of more than 20 points over her nearest rival means that she will not have to face a run-off round.

The victory cements the domination of Argentina politics by the Kirchners, who met as two young activists while studying law in the 1970s.

In a victory speech to supporters Mrs Kirchner said that her resounding triumph did not put her in a position of privilege but instead “puts us in a position of greater responsibilities and obligations”. She added that she felt an added responsibility as the country’s first elected woman president.

Joining her on the platform after her speech was Ségolène Royal, France’s defeated presidential candidate, who reportedly told her how great it was that Argentinians were more intelligent than the French in voting for a woman.

Voting was marked by queues and chaos in many urban centres, especially those which leant towards the opposition. Several opposition candidates denounced acts of fraud and irregularities but accepted that these did not affect the overall outcome. After a campaign marked by voter apathy only 73 per cent of electors voted, the lowest turnout since 1928 in a country where voting is compulsory.

Mrs Kirchner’s coalition increased its control over an already docile congress and won all eight gubernatorial races held on Sunday. When she takes power in December her allies will control 19 of Argentina’s 23 provinces.

Mrs Kirchner is expected to retain many of her husband’s ministers, although her economic policy will require particular attention amid rising inflation and a lack of foreign investment required to relieve capacity constraints in industry.

One man mentioned as a possibility for a Cabinet post is Mario Blejer, a director of the Centre for Central Bank Studies at the Bank of England and a former governor of Argentina’s central bank.

Mr Kirchner, the soon-to-be ex-president and first husband, will not have to move out of the presidential residence in the smart Olivos neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, but given his wife’s strong character and long political career, he will not be controlling her administration from the presidential bedroom.

He is expected to turn his attentions to rebuilding the ruling but divided Peronist Party. It was a victim of the political crisis that followed the crash of 2001 and has since then been deeply divided by factionalism and infighting.

Side by side

— Christina Fernández Kirchner is 54

— Her husband is President Kirchner

— Started her political career in the Peronist Youth movement of the Justicialist Party in the 1970s and was elected to represent Santa Cruz in the Senate in 1995

— Two children, Máximo and Florencia

— “Don’t call me first lady, call me first citizen”: on the occasion of her husband coming to power in 2003

— 2007: she won

— Ségolène Royal is 55

— She split from her partner, the Socialist Party leader François Hollande, earlier this year

— Entered politics in 1980 as an adviser to President Mitterrand and was elected an MP for DeuxSèvres in 1988

— Four children, Thomas, Clémence, Julien, and Flora

— “I don’t see why a man can be ready to be a candidate and not a woman”: on announcing her candidacy for President in 2006

— 2007: she lost

Sources: www.cristina.com.ar ; Assemblée Nationale; Times archives

To Daniel: Yes,brother everybody was(you and me as well)...but who was in charge?...that equalinsing theory leds nowhere man!!!!

Diego , buenos aires, argentina

To Daniel... that equalizing theory leads nowhere...
who was in charge? what did they do?
just had to clarify my point , thanks

Diego , buenos aires, argentina

Please, the K's where also part of that 90s period!

Daniel, Bs As, Argentina

I can't believe that this is happening to Argentina, my loved country. Due to our law, we are going to have a president who wasn't chosen by 56% of the voters. I pray for us...

Gracia Cornet, CÃ³rdoba, Argentina

I feel the sheer size of the lead in these elections makes it impossible to talk about fraud, although some minor percentage points have actually been scrounged by forcing voters to travel to more distant polling stations and by messing up the opposition's ballots. We all hope she will make a turn and lead the country to sustainable recovery, especially the recovery of republican institutions. She should bear in mind that 55 pct of voters did not vote for her, is that too difficult to apprehend?

Alec, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This is not a "dinasty" as the Times wants to put it. It is not an "immoral" result either. It simply reflects the fact that the power system ruling Argentina is largely defunct and has to be replaced for a more parlamentarian one. Following this route we will end up like in England, where people are ruled by the "worthy" (e.g. wealthy who become Lords by paying money into the parties), henceforth splitting the society in two, the rulers and the ruled ones.
We Argentines should not make them read what they precisely want to read, the same irregularities happen everywhere else in some way or another. We should concentrate in making our Country to be one we can feel proud of.

LLanero Solitario, Londres,

Although I didnÂ´t vote for Cristina Kirchner, I believe that accusations of fraud have no substance. She was a legitimate winner, whether we like her or not. Although I personally disagree with her arrogant tone, I admired her when she was one of the few voices in our Senate to challenge the corrupted goverment of Carlos Menem, and she has a political competence and sophistication that goes far beyond Evita. I'm deeply concerned about Argentinians stating so lightly that we are not a democratic country, cause that is a lie for which they should be ashamed. What is not democratic is not accepting the rules of democracy. I hope that the presidency of Cristina resembles more her performance as a MP than the campaign character who underestimated us not giving a debate, not accepting to discuss facts as the worrying inflation rate or the energy problem that we are facing.

MArcelo , Capital Federal, Argentina

Aside from the fact that polling stations opened a bit later than what they should have, it was a perfectly clean election.
There were ballots of every party, it was well-organized and I saw no irregularities, at least where I voted.

I did not vote for Cristina, but I have the grace to admit that she won fairly and that the overwhelming majority of voters chose her.
Stop whining... just because you live in the bubble of Capital Federal doesn't mean you have an idea of the general opinion of this country torwards the government.

Andres, Buenos Aires,

Think of these people (The Kirchners) as a fire squad.The fire has been burning for 10 years (MenemÂ´s period).Many of us forget where we were back in 2001 and that we still have to repay the huge social debt arising from 10 years of absent state and a dilapidated industry.Add to that the fact that following devaluation of the peso our country as a whole is worth a third of what it was back then.Enter corporations buying the country with the money they flew right before the alarm went off! Cheers

Diego , buenos aires, argentina

Think of the Kirchners as a fire squad.The fire has been burning for over 10 years (MenemÂ´s period).Many of us forget where we were back in 2001 and that we still have to repay the huge social debt arising from 10 years of absent state and a dilapidated industry.Add to that the fact that following devaluation of the peso our country as a whole is worth a third of what it was back then.Enter corporations buying back the country with the money they flew right before the alarm went off! Cheers

Diego , buenos aires, argentina

Hi, Iam agree with Jose from Capital Federal, and is the same in the interior. Im from the north of Argentina, Tucuman, and in the capital won the other woman Lilita Carrio. In Cordoba city won Lavagna. Cristina K won only in the country, where she and his husband could "controlled the votes". Far to be the new Evita, as Jose says: people loved Evita.

Dolores Rouges Pott, San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina

I struggle when writers attempt to place a Latin American country with western democracies. Unfortunately the corrupted history of Argentina....typical of all the South American countries continues to dog fair and organised government

Sean, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Actually, she got 8.197.576 votes. Which is almost 1/4 of the total population. I didn't vote for her, but saying she got only 3 million votes is not accurate. Like it or not, it was a legitime election and people has chose. I know the reports about ballots being stolen and such. But, if you didn't want to vote for her, it was plenty of other options. I doubt people that didn't find the ballot they wanted finally voted for her because they had no choice. That's silly, and didn't help her to win.

Martin Estinel, your wish of her being replaced is kinda sad. What do you want? Another militar coup d'etat? Another crisis like we had in 2001, when nobody wanted to take the lead and we had a string of presidents within a week? Sorry, I prefer her in charge, even if not the best.

Fabio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

IÂ´m a Argentine Woman, how belives that this election was a fraud; most of the people hates her, only the poor and ignorate vote for her the rest to try to vote for a change; Knows the frustating feeling Knowing that sheÂ´ll be the next president.
EveryoneÂ´s too desapointing for the result.

BelÃ©n, Cordoba, Argentina

I'm an Argentine young woman and I'm very concerned of the furure of my country.
Argentina does not need "glamour" in the Goverment, nor a new "Evita": WE NEED SENSIBLE ACTIONS to be taken and Cristina F. de Kirnech has NEVER mentioned even one!
For example: eight Argentines are killed every single day by criminals.... while the Government says that "insecurity is just a feeling".
They keep on laughing at us, working citizens... and they will keep doing it for another awful 4 years.

On the other hand, this elections were not clean at all.
1st: Dead people voted (a lot of people reported that they have seen in the lists the names of their dead relatives... )
2 st: In Argentina we vote selecting a piece of paper called "boletas". Well, in the majority of the cities the "boletas" of Elisa Carrio were missing.
3 rd... so many other irregularities... millions spend in the campaign by the Kirchners...

My conclusion: ARGENTINA IS NOT A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY ANYMORE. =(

Cecilia , Buenos Aires, Argentina

Evita was hated by de "high society" people (most of the capital)

Claudio, Buenos aires, Argentina

Simple Argentine arithmatic. Call the population of the country about 39 million. Of those, 27 million are entitled to vote. Christina, with her 44% actually polled only 3 million votes. That is 1/13th of the population or 1/9th of the voting public. What sort of majority is that for governing a country? She might not even have done that well if her supporters had not stolen the voting slips of the other parties from the polling booths so that people who wanted to vote for the opposition just could not. Still, the consolation is that she probably won't stay the course and will have to be replaced by someone competent in mid-term. WATCH THIS SPACE!

Martin Estinel, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Im from Argentina, and what I would like to say is that it was such a sad election for us, a sad and strange one, full of irregularity. I ll give you a link to one of the few independent journalist of our country where you can see a police report of a person that was unable to vote. http://www.periodicotribuna.com.ar/Articulo.asp?Articulo=3286

Daniel, Bs As, Argentina

Who cares about style, when there's people that don't have food to eat?... I mean, we are a food exporting country after all... we need someone in power that does something about these people, someone who thinks about them, and none of them are called Dolce or Gabbana... It all about new dresses and more money, like it always have been in this land...

jk, buenos aires, argentina

The other candidates were weak, unorganized and withouth a solid background, I think people thought they were kind of a risky choice with not clear plans. In contrast, I think people voted Cristina just to not have many changes in the economy and some stability after the election, it was the easiest choice for most of the people. She is not an Evita, saying that is the same dumb comparison that journalism always do between Maradona and any new good player that show some talent "the new Maradona", "the new Evita", whatever... come on!

Ignacio, Rosario, Argentina

On the occasion of the press report, the elections were a fraud, a theft.

I sent a note from newspaper Clarin:

http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/10/29/elpais/p-04001.htm

http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/10/29/elpais/p-04102.htm

Argentina remains a country of corrupt leaders.

Sorry bother with this note, but the world must know as win the election

Best regards

Enrique Omar, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hi. I just have to say something about this: "Cristina" has a lousy presence in the Capital (which comprises more than 5% of the national population, and is indisputably the most powerful political hotspot). Just walk the streets, ask some people their opinion, and there's a very good chance they'll tell you they hate her. She's most certainly not the "new Evita". People loved Evita.

This election was kinda dumb. Most people didn't even know more than two or three of the candidates.

JosÃ©, Capital Federal, Argentina