BUENOS AIRES: President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina cruised to re-election on Sunday, riding a wave of economic prosperity in her quest to continue the political dynasty begun by her late husband, former President Néstor Kirchner.
As recently as two years ago, Mrs. Kirchner had seemed a long shot to win a second four-year term. Her combative style, highlighted by a heated dispute over agricultural export taxes, sent her approval ratings below 30 percent. Economists predicted doom for the subsidy-heavy economic model first orchestrated by Mr. Kirchner to help the country recover from its economic collapse in 2001; rising inflation and accusations of doctored economic statistics clouded her prospects.
But on Sunday, one year after her husband died of a heart attack, Mrs. Kirchner, Argentina’s first elected female president, completed a remarkable political turnaround. With about 81 percent of voting stations tabulated, she was leading with about 53 percent of the vote, while her closest challenger, Hermes Binner of the Broad Progressive Front, had about 17 percent. The ample margin would be enough to avoid a runoff and be the widest victory since democracy was restored in 1983.
In a speech late Sunday in Plaza de Mayo, Mrs. Kirchner called for national unity and thanked the “multitudes of young people” who supported her.
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