Argentine first lady become first lady president of country

Argentine first lady become first lady president of country Argentina’s glamorous first lady, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, claimed victory on Sunday in her bid to succeed her husband and become the first woman in her country’s history to be elected president.
“We have won by a large margin,” the 54-year-old senator told cheering supporters in a speech broadcast live on television hours after the polls closed.

A partial count showed her with 43 per cent of the vote, double that of her nearest rival, according to a tally of 12 per cent of ballots on the official electoral agency website.

If maintained, that score will make her the outright victor of the election without the need for a runoff in November.

With her husband on stage with her, applauding her words, Fernandez made special mention “of the man who is at my side today, and who has been my companion all my life,” and blew him a kiss.

In the lead-up to the elections — which she entered as the solid favorite — she emphasized her husband’s presidential record more than her own two decades in politics as a lawmaker.

Kirchner, 57, enjoys widespread popularity for having overseen an impressive turnaround in Argentina’s economy during his four-year mandate. He has not explained why he is stepping down.

When he came in, the country was still in a poor state after a 2001 economic collapse that saw it become the biggest-ever sovereign debt defaulter. Since then, the economy has grown nearly 50 per cent and unemployment has halved.

Agencies