MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

A step further for Kirchner's political project.

Finally it will be former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde who will have to pay for the barbecue to share with President Nestor Kirchner.

Last Sunday's election results in the Northern Province of Misiones indicate that Mr. Kirchner's candidate, Carlos Rovira will continue as governor and Mr. Ramón Puerta, and Mr. Duhalde's local ally, will have to remain in the Senate.

Although belonging to the same Justicialista Party, Mr. Rovira competed as an independent, and Mr. Puerta as the party's official candidate. Mr. Rovira managed 47% of the vote, Mr. Puerta 32% and the four federal legislators Misiones sends to Buenos Aires apparently also respond to the governor.

Bets aside, the landslide is sweet music for president Kirchner and his project to build a strong "transversal political base" that includes "reborn" Justicialistas and other "ideologically" converging groupings as happened in the city of Buenos Aires where Mayor Anibal Ibarra with strong leftwing credentials defeated the "official" candidate Mauricio Macri preferred by Mr. Duhalde.

For Mr. Duhalde the all powerful leader of the province of Buenos Aires and mentor of Mr. Kirchner when he was voted into Casa Rosada last May 25, means that the president is rapidly becoming a "natural" leader of the party, eventually eroding his standing and future plans.

The latest round of Deputies elections also shows that the Kirchner administration should have an ample majority in Congress ensuring approval of vital legislation in the coming months, including the budget and the Economic Emergency bill extension that should give time to review the controversial public utilities contracts.

However election results also indicate that Mr. Duhalde will continue to dominate almost a third of the Deputies in the ruling block which gives him a virtual veto potential.

But in spite of the overwhelming victory of Justicialistas in Misiones, celebrations were very low key: a girl is dead and a young woman in critical condition in hospital. It all happened when a group of enthusiastic Rovira supporters was attacked with guns supposedly by representatives from the loosing faction.