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Argentina election: Centre-left Alberto Fernández wins presidency | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Centre-left opposition candidate Alberto Fernández has been elected president of Argentina in a vote dominated by economic concerns. | |
Mr Fernández secured more than the 45% of the vote needed to win, beating conservative incumbent Mauricio Macri. | |
Raucous crowds gathered at Mr Fernández's election headquarters to celebrate the result. | |
The vote was held amid an economic crisis that has left a third of Argentina's population in poverty. | |
Mr Macri had trailed behind his challenger in pre-election polls and was trounced by the opposition in primary elections in August. | Mr Macri had trailed behind his challenger in pre-election polls and was trounced by the opposition in primary elections in August. |
He conceded defeat on Sunday night. Congratulating his political rival, he said he had invited Mr Fernández to the presidential palace on Monday to discuss an orderly transition. | |
Mr Fernández later told supporters he would collaborate with the outgoing president "in every way we can", according to Reuters news agency. | |
With more than 90% of ballots counted, Mr Fernández had 47.79% of the vote, compared to Mr Macri's 40.71%. | |
A candidate needed at least 45% of the vote, or 40% and a 10-point lead over the second-place contestant, to win in the first round. | |
At Mr Fernández's election headquarters, his supporters expressed their hopes for a new Argentina. | |
"The excitement and expectations we have are because we know that a government that thinks about the people is back," 35-year-old Paola Fiore told Reuters. | |
What were the vote-winning issues? | |
The election was dominated by concerns over the economy. With nearly one in three people now living in poverty, voters backed the candidate they thought was best-placed to lead the country out of the crisis. | |
Mr Macri promised to achieve "zero poverty", but things actually worsened during his four-year rule. His supporters said he inherited a broken economy when he came to power and needed more time to sort it out. | |
Mr Fernández has said he will play things safe financially. But his opponents expressed concerns over his running-mate, former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. | |
Ms Fernández de Kirchner is fondly remembered by her supporters as a modern-day Eva Perón, who championed the poor with welfare programmes. But she is a divisive figure, also accused of being corrupt and economically irresponsible. | Ms Fernández de Kirchner is fondly remembered by her supporters as a modern-day Eva Perón, who championed the poor with welfare programmes. But she is a divisive figure, also accused of being corrupt and economically irresponsible. |
Who is Alberto Fernández? | |
Career politician Mr Fernández has caused quite a stir since he first appeared in the limelight of Argentine politics some six months ago. | |
The former campaign strategist began his bid for the presidency in May - something of a surprise as ex-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had been widely tipped to be the centre-left opposition coalition's candidate for the top office. | The former campaign strategist began his bid for the presidency in May - something of a surprise as ex-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had been widely tipped to be the centre-left opposition coalition's candidate for the top office. |
But Mr Fernández really came into his own in August when he defeated Mr Macri by nearly 15 percentage points in primary elections, a compulsory vote for all electors which is seen is a dry-run for the presidency. | |
This victory, defying all predictions, set him up as the clear favourite. | |