MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Poll foresees virtual tie in Argentine presidential ballot.

Though former President Carlos Menem topped its latest survey, a leading polling firm forecasts a virtual tie among the top five hopefuls in Argentina's April 27 presidential election, which will necessarily be followed by a run-off.

The Ipsos Mora y Araujo poll, published Thursday in the newspaper La Nacion, also reflects a surge in support for center-right candidate Ricardo Lopez Murphy, who ranked third with 16.3 percent support.

Menem, who belongs to the ruling Peronist Party and served as president from 1989 to 1999, received 18.3 percent of voter preference.

The survey shows Santa Cruz provincial Gov. Nestor Kirchner, who enjoys the backing of President Eduardo Duhalde's Peronist government, in second place with 16.8 percent.

Trailing economist Lopez Murphy are Peronist Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, with 15.1 percent of voter intention, and center-left candidate Elisa Carrio, with 12.6 percent.

The polling firm, which interviewed 1,200 people nationwide, says the five main candidates are headed toward a virtual tie and that the new president will be decided by a run-off election provisionally scheduled for May 18.

Under the Argentine Constitution, a run-off can be avoided only if one candidate obtains at least 40 percent of the vote with an advantage over his closest opponent of more than 10 percent.

Ipsos Mora and Araujo established that while support for Menem has grown 3.3 percent over the past month, the former president continues to suffer from a high negative rating, with 57 percent saying they would never vote for him.

Meanwhile, 9.1 percent remain undecided and 5.3 percent said they plan to boycott the election, cast a blank ballot or otherwise spoil their ballots