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Argentina’s president looks certain to be re-elected

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Summary of story from the Telegraph, October 15, 2011

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner looks set for re-election at Argentina’s polls a week on Sunday.

She delivered an emotional speech to the nation this week, celebrating her late husband’s life.

Néstor Kirchner was a popular former president who unexpectedly stood aside in 2007 to allow his wife Cristina to run for office.

Her popularity has grown over the last four years, with current approval ratings of more than 60 per cent thanks to brisk economic growth and hefty energy and transport subsidies.

Making regular reference to the Falkland Islands war has added to her domestic popularity.

She described Britain as a “crude colonial power in decline” and David Cameron’s statement that the islands would remain British as long as the inhabitants wanted, as “mediocrity bordering on stupidity”.

Her opponents have been frustrated by her tight grip on power and have failed to mount a convincing challenge.

Rarely giving interviews, she prefers to communicate directly via Twitter with her 655,000 followers, cutting out meddlesome journalists who may ask her difficult questions and analyse her words.

It is a strategy which looks likely to see her win outright next week, scoring over 45 per cent of the vote.

Rumours over her own personal enrichment have failed to dent her popularity. The Kirchner family wealth has increased six-fold since Mr Kirchner was elected in 2003.

Mr Berenzstein, a partner in the political pollster Poliarquía Consultores, says: “None of the opposition candidates can threaten her. The most competitive opposition candidates did not compete. Her triumph is totally assured.”

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