Argentine First Lady to run for President

The wife of President Nestor Kirchner will run as the government candidate in Argentina’s October presidential election after he decided not to seek re-election, a government spokesperson has said.

The wife of President Nestor Kirchner will run as the government candidate in Argentina’s October presidential election after he decided not to seek re-election, a government spokesperson has said.

The decision ends months of speculation fuelled by Kirchner’s public suggestions that either he or his wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a prominent senator, will compete in the October 28 vote. Polls show either would easily win.

The First Lady will launch her campaign on July 19, the spokesperson added. The government news agency Telam later confirmed her candidacy, citing Cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez.

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Her candidacy had been seen as increasingly likely in recent months as she has travelled abroad on official visits o raise her profile at home and her chances of becoming the country’s first elected female leader.

A 54-year-old lawyer and outspoken senator, the First Lady is one of the President’s leading advisors and has served in both Houses of Congress. She was better known than her husband when he ran for president in 2003 as a governor from the province of Santa Cruz.