MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President Duhalde finds a candidate.

Argentine caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde finally seems to have found the candidate for the coming April elections, Governor Néstor Kirchner, a man who should help renew faces in the ruling party and at the same time defeat his greatest opponent, former president Carlos Menem.

"Mr. Kirchner has great chances of becoming the presidential candidate" helping the Justicialista Party win the coming election, indicated Wednesday evening José Pampuro, Mr. Duhalde's cabinet secretary.

Mr. Kirchner, currently governor of the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz admitted that the "president (Duhalde) always encouraged me to run", but refused to confirm if he was to become effectively the incumbent candidate.

Mr. Kirchner was invited Tuesday by President Duhalde to Government House where he spent several hours discussing politics.

"We coincided in the need of a strong, ample presidential ticket that ensures plurality for a progressive centre left project that will also attract centre right groups", underlined Mr. Kirchner adding that the main internal competitor in the ruling party is former president Carlos Menem.

"There's no space for a fundamentalist adventure or a messianic and only leadership that would supposedly grant Argentina fortitude. This kind of project will actually weaken the country even further, with a leadership belonging to the past that the electorate would simply not accept".

However Alberto Kohan an influential voice very close to Mr. Menem recalled that Mr. Duhalde had anticipated he would support any candidate capable of beating Mr. Menem, "and now they are convinced Kirchner can win; but I'm certain he will be beaten in the primary, in the first round and even in the run off, if necessary".

Caretaker president Duhalde conditioned by an ongoing feud of over a decade with Mr. Menem has been desperately searching for a progressive looking candidate with the capacity to defeat his political rival.

Mr. Kirchner is actually governor of the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz with just 200,000 inhabitants and a very healthy economy that depends on abundant oil royalties.

Presidential elections in Argentina are scheduled for April 27th, with a run off May 18th, if necessary, and the taking office ceremony on May 25th.

Even when primaries to nominate party candidate are programmed for next February 23rd, the Duhalde administration is planning to avoid them taking advantage of the independent electorate who strongly rejects Mr. Menem and his ten years of rule.

The latest opinion poll published in Buenos Aires indicates that former president Adolfo Rodríguez Saá leads vote intention with 12,5%, followed by Kirchner, 11,8%, left leaning opposition Elisa Carrió 11,1% and Mr. Menem 10,2%. A majority of the electorate 21,4% remains undecided.

Another opposition hopeful with strong backing among the business community Mr. Ricardo López Murphy warned that president Duhalde does not keep his word.

"He first launched Carlos Reutemann, then José Manuel de la Sota and now apparently Mr. Kirchner. This attitude shows lack of coherence and continually fragments political power", stressed Mr. López Murphy.

Mr. Duhalde's firm grip on his stronghold in the province of Buenos Aires, the country's main electoral constituency, ensures any candidate great chances of winning.