Argentine president Cristina Fernández wins primary election

Argentine president Cristina Fernández wins primary election

2011-08-16 00:40:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

BUENOS AIRES (BNO NEWS) -- Argentine president Cristina Fernández won primary national elections with more than 50 percent of the votes on Sunday, the El Clarín newspaper reported on Monday.

Fernández won a crushing victory in key provinces such as Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa Fe and Mendoza. She further prevailed in all Argentine districts except in the central province of San Luis where she only got 29 percent of the votes.

The second place was disputed between Radical party Senator Ricardo Alfonsín and former President Eduardo Duhalde, who both received about 12 percent of the votes.

Second place is vital to start defining possible agreements for the general election which will be held on October 23, and this primary election will also determine if candidates who got fewer votes will decline their candidacy.

According to El Clarín, primary elections have shown that the opposition is fragmented unlike the past national elections when there was a polarized political scene.

In October 2007, Cristina Fernández was elected President for a first four-year term, becoming Argentina's first elected female President and the second female President ever to serve.

On June 21 of this year, Fernández announced she would run for a second term as a Front for Victory candidate. A few days later, she also announced that Amado Boudou would run with her for the vice-presidency position.

Sunday's poll occurred without major incidents, although there were reports that ballot paper had been stolen in some locations. Nonetheless, more than 70 percent of those on the electoral roll had voted.

Primary elections in Argentina decide the candidates for President, Vice-President and representatives who will take part in the general election on October 23.

With the results known, Cristina Fernández, the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner, is now the clear favorite to win outright in the first round presidential election in October.

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