Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner claims Argentine victory

October 29, 2007

Argentina - Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has won Argentina's presidential election.

Her claim comes after early official results, based on 10% of ballots being counted, gave her 42% of the vote.

The count backs up earlier exit polls and such a margin would be enough to elect her without a run-off poll.

If confirmed by the full count, she will succeed her husband Nestor Kirchner and become Argentina's first elected female president.

"We've won by a wide margin," she told supporters in a speech at her campaign headquarters.

The early count put her nearest rivals as Kirchner's ex-Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna with 21% and former beauty queen Elisa Carrio with 18%.

If Kirchner takes more than 45% of the full vote, or 40% with a 10 point lead over the next nearest candidate, she will win the presidency without facing a second round of voting.

Kirchner has governed for the past four years, but surprised the nation by deciding not to seek a new term.

Besides a new president, voters were choosing eight provincial governors, a third of the Senate and about half of the Chamber of Deputies.

Some 27 million people were eligible to vote and people attended polling stations under sunny skies across most of the country.

After casting her vote in her south Patagonian home town of Rio Gallegos, Kirchner kissed supporters and declared it was "an important day for the continuation of democracy".

"I'm part of the generation that grew up and couldn't vote for anything," she added, referring to the military dictatorship of 1976-83.