Glamorous First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner swept to victory in Argentina's elections Sunday and was poised to succeed her husband as president of the resurgent South American nation.
The chic Fernandez had a wide lead and claimed victory last night as the first woman elected Argentine president, raising inevitable comparisons to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).
Fernandez, 54, vowed to continue the left-of-center policies of her husband, President Nestor Kirchner, who is credited with pulling the country out of economic collapse.
"She is going to be the same as her husband, who has done a lot of things like build houses for the poor," said chauffeur Ramon Quiroga, 50.
Like Clinton, Fernandez is a lawyer and senator who stood by her husband's side as he rose from small-state governor to his nation's presidency.
Her European dresses and designer bags also drew comparisons with Eva Perón, the magnetic wife of Argentine President Juan Perón who inspired the musical "Evita." But Fernandez rejected such popular story lines.
"I don't want to be compared with Hillary Clinton or with Evita Perón, or with anybody," she said recently. "There's nothing better than being yourself."
Five independent television networks and at least one private radio station reported their exit polling indicated Fernandez has easily won a first-round victory.
But the opposition candidates refused to concede defeat, and some charged fraud.
Argentina emerged from military dictatorship in 1983 but suffered a massive economic collapse in 2001.
Kirchner brought back normalcy, but unemployment and inflation are still high.
"I'm part of a generation that grew up in a country in which nobody could say anything," Fernandez said as she voted with her husband. "So we value this in a very special way."dgoldiner@nydailynews.com
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The chic Fernandez had a wide lead and claimed victory last night as the first woman elected Argentine president, raising inevitable comparisons to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).
Fernandez, 54, vowed to continue the left-of-center policies of her husband, President Nestor Kirchner, who is credited with pulling the country out of economic collapse.
"She is going to be the same as her husband, who has done a lot of things like build houses for the poor," said chauffeur Ramon Quiroga, 50.
Like Clinton, Fernandez is a lawyer and senator who stood by her husband's side as he rose from small-state governor to his nation's presidency.
Her European dresses and designer bags also drew comparisons with Eva Perón, the magnetic wife of Argentine President Juan Perón who inspired the musical "Evita." But Fernandez rejected such popular story lines.
"I don't want to be compared with Hillary Clinton or with Evita Perón, or with anybody," she said recently. "There's nothing better than being yourself."
Five independent television networks and at least one private radio station reported their exit polling indicated Fernandez has easily won a first-round victory.
But the opposition candidates refused to concede defeat, and some charged fraud.
Argentina emerged from military dictatorship in 1983 but suffered a massive economic collapse in 2001.
Kirchner brought back normalcy, but unemployment and inflation are still high.
"I'm part of a generation that grew up in a country in which nobody could say anything," Fernandez said as she voted with her husband. "So we value this in a very special way."dgoldiner@nydailynews.com
