Argentines hope Kirchner vote will keep purse open

Signs of elections were scarce in Buenos Aires on Saturday, a day before President Cristina Kirchner was expected to win a crushing second term victory, helped by Argentina's strong growth rate. The 58-year-old center-left leader has soared in opinion polls since the sudden death of her husband and ex-president Nestor Kirchner a year ago, drawing sympathy and support from pensioners to parents via spending on social programs. Her divided opponents have failed to convince they can do more to reduce runaway inflation, while high world prices for the country's farm exports have helped maintain spending, including on wage rises and transport subsidies. "Despite the international crisis, we're on a good path," said 19-year-old Leo Garin, who plans to vote for Kirchner and her powerful Justicialist Party of three-time former president Juan Peron and his populist wife Evita. The infamous couple appear on Kirchner's campaign posters and flags along with Nestor, who is rapidly joining the Peronist legend in the vast nation of 40 million. Supporters of the Kirchners, often referred to as "K," credit Nestor for pulling the country out of its dire 2001 financial collapse, echoed in Greece today, during his 2003-2007 presidency. Many Argentines see Kirchnerism as the safest bet for the economy amid uncertainty in Europe and the United States. An outpouring of public sympathy for Cristina, who still dresses in black, also boosted her popularity after a dip following a major dispute with farmers over tax increases on key soya exports in 2008, which she lost. "Cristina is an efficient, intelligent woman," said 73-year-old pensioner Lauriano Rojas, in a Buenos Aires cafe. Low interest in the campaign was explained by Kirchner's path to likely victory without a run-off, for which she needs 45 percent of the vote or 40 plus a 10-point lead. "The explanation for her support is the growth in the economy that people are feeling in their homes," said sociologist Analia Del Franco, director of the Analogias consultancy. With a more conciliatory tone than her husband, Cristina has sought to improve relations with crucial sectors such as agro-industry. Amid average growth of around eight percent since 2003, many have overlooked the simultaneous massive enrichment of the Kirchners. Officials say unemployment is down and poverty has dropped to 8.3 percent. The glamorous widow, with long auburn hair, already won 50 percent in national primaries in August and opinion polls predicted she would win slightly more on Sunday. She also hopes to win back the lower house, where half the 257 seats are being contested, as well as to increase a small Senate majority, where a third of the 72 seats are at play. But some in the middle class plan protest votes Sunday, despite seeing no candidate capable of beating Kirchner, because they say they have lost out in recent years. "The social programs don't help the middle classes but we're really affected by rising prices," said 28-year-old Carolina Boix, who works in a foreign exchange company. "The middle class is suffering. There are lots of taxes and prices go up every week," said 40-year-old Gabriela Rios, a jewellery seller in San Telmo, where tango dancers perform for tourists on cobbled streets. The government insists inflation is only 10 percent and fines economists who publish their own estimates, most of which are more than double the official figure. Rios said she also suffered from import curbs on pearls from China that she had been using for her products. "It's fine to support local industry but you can't do that," she said, pointing out that uncertainty was once again leading Argentines to move their money out of the country. Almost 29 million Argentines are eligible to vote on Sunday, with socialist Hermes Binner predicted to come in second, 35 to 40 points below Kirchner.