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| Argentina choosing new president | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Argentines are heading to the polls to choose a new president to succeed Nestor Kirchner, who has governed for the past four years. | |
| Opinion polls suggest the president's wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, could be victorious in the first round. | |
| Her main rivals are a former beauty queen, Elisa Carrio, and Mr Kirchner's ex-Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna. | |
| Voters will also elect eight provincial governors, a third of the Senate and about half of the Chamber of Deputies. | Voters will also elect eight provincial governors, a third of the Senate and about half of the Chamber of Deputies. |
| ELECTION ARITHMETIC 27m eligible voters14 candidates running for presidentWinner needs 45%, or 40% plus 10-point leadIf needed, second round on 25 NovemberNew president to be sworn in on 10 December Q&A: Argentine election Candidate profiles Key questions in election | |
| There are some 27 million people eligible to vote, with polls closing at 1800 local time (2100 GMT). | |
| The economy and rising crime have been the two main issues in campaigning. | The economy and rising crime have been the two main issues in campaigning. |
| Just a few months ago, Mr Kirchner was riding high in the opinion polls and looked set to continue for a second four-year term. | |
| However, it was announced in July that his wife, Cristina, the senator for Buenos Aires province, would stand in his place. No explanation has been given. | However, it was announced in July that his wife, Cristina, the senator for Buenos Aires province, would stand in his place. No explanation has been given. |
| href="/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/americas_argentine_voters/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/americas_argentine_voters/html/1.stm', '1193394904', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=500,height=400,left=312,top=100'); return false;">Argentines give their views on candidates and issues href="/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/americas_argentine_voters/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/americas_argentine_voters/html/1.stm', '1193394904', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=500,height=400,left=312,top=100'); return false;" >In pictures Mrs Kirchner was subsequently appointed the candidate for the governing Front for Victory (FPV) and promised to continue his centre-left policies. | |
| The president's wife has consistently led the opinion polls since her campaign began, and most analysts say she will get enough votes in the first round to avoid a second. | The president's wife has consistently led the opinion polls since her campaign began, and most analysts say she will get enough votes in the first round to avoid a second. |
| To win outright in the first round, a candidate needs to obtain either 45% of the vote, or 40% if they are 10 percentage points ahead of their nearest rival. | To win outright in the first round, a candidate needs to obtain either 45% of the vote, or 40% if they are 10 percentage points ahead of their nearest rival. |
| Recent opinion polls show Mrs Kirchner with between 39.5% and 49.4% of votes. | |
| If Mrs Kirchner wins, she will be the first woman elected president of Argentina. | If Mrs Kirchner wins, she will be the first woman elected president of Argentina. |
| Economic concerns | Economic concerns |
| Among the 13 other candidates, Mrs Kirchner's closest challenger is Ms Carrio, the candidate of the centre-left Civic Coalition. | |
| Ms Carrio is running on an anti-corruption platform and promising to reduce economic inequality. She has urged the poorest to vote for her in order to take the election to a second round run-off on 25 November. | |
| Roberto Lavagna and Elisa Carrio are Mrs Kirchner's main rivals The other main candidates include Mr Lavagna of the centrist Coalition for an Advanced Nation (UNA), and a well-known free-market economist, Ricardo Lopez Murphy. | |
| All three challengers dispute the opinion polls and say the government's official figures on how well the economy is doing do not ring true. | All three challengers dispute the opinion polls and say the government's official figures on how well the economy is doing do not ring true. |
| The BBC's Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires says Mr Kirchner has overseen a return to stability and some prosperity after the economy collapsed six years ago, plunging thousands into poverty. | |
| However, there are fears over how strong the economy really is and general scepticism over official statistics that say inflation is under control, our correspondent says. | However, there are fears over how strong the economy really is and general scepticism over official statistics that say inflation is under control, our correspondent says. |
| As well as facing comparisons with Eva Peron, Argentina's legendary former first lady, Mrs Kirchner has been compared to former US First Lady Hillary Clinton, who is also a lawyer and senator seeking to become the first elected female president of her country. | |
| "I don't want to be compared with Hillary Clinton or with Evita Peron, or with anybody," Mrs Kirchner said recently. | |
| "There's nothing better than being yourself." |