MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Kirchner leads with 21,2%.

With just over three weeks for the coming Argentine presidential election next April 27, governor Néstor Kirchner leads in the polls with 21,2%, and for the first time since the campaign began a candidate managed to cross the psychological 20% threshold according to the latest Ipsos Mora y Araujo poll published last Sunday in La Nación.

Four points behind is former governor and seven days president Adolfo Rodríguez Sáa with 15,8% and immediately with 15% the Loyalty Front of former president Carlos Menem.

All three leading tickets, Kirchner-Scioli, Rodríguez-Sáa-Melchor Posse and Menem-Romero belong to the ruling Peronist party, with Kirchner enjoying the full support of Argentine caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde.

Ms. Elisa Carrió and economist Ricardo López Murhpy, both former members of the main Argentine opposition party, but running as independents figure fourth and fifth with 12,5% and 11,6%.

Comparing March results with the previous February Mora Araújo opinion poll, Mr. Kirchner and Mr. López Murphy are advancing, Mr. Rodríguez Sáa and Ms. Carrió are loosing ground and Mr. Menem remains stable.

However the percentage of those interviewed who believe Mr. Menem will finally become Argentina's next president increased from 41,9 to 43,1% in one month.

Mr. Kirchner is strong in the middle class and middle income groups, while Mr. Menem in the low income groups and Mr. López Murphy leads in the high income groups.

Those interviewed who remain undecided are virtually stagnant in 11,9% while those who will vote blank or won't be going to the polling booth, in spite that it's compulsory in Argentina, stand at 5,6%.

Mr. Kirchner is promising to review privatizations (from Mr. Menem's administration) "to recover the country's wealth for the people, particularly those that are not working correctly", and has also anticipated a re-scheduling of Argentina's foreign debt that now stands at over 180 billion US dollars.

Given the latest results and tendencies, pollster Ipsos Mora y Araújo anticipate that a run off between the two most voted presidential candidates will most probably have to be convened for May 18th.