MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cristina Kirchner leads in opinion polls and assets

First Lady, Senator and presidential candidate, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is the wealthiest of all presidential hopefuls running for Argentina's Executive seat in Casa Rosada next October 28, reports the Sunday edition of Buenos Aires daily Clarin.

The report is based on extracts from the assets declared by all presidential candidates to the Anticorruption Office or Congress as required by Argentine legislation. Mrs. Kirchner figures with the equivalent of 1.8 million US dollars; Ricardo Lopez Murphy with 1.7 million US dollars; former Economy minister Roberto Lavagna declared 700.000 US dollars and runner up in the public opinion polls Elisa Carrió, 30.000 US dollars. However the report points out that the assets, mostly real estate figure at fiscal value and not market going prices. Mrs. Kirchner totals 32 properties distributed in Buenos Aires, Rio Gallegos and Calafate plus two cars and a 4x4 all terrain van. With the exception of four properties, the rest are shared with President Kirchner with whom Cristina is married since 1975. Economist Lopez Murphy assets include four houses, two cars and shares in a company with interests in cattle feed-lots. Lavagna declared a house, a farm, a car and works of art, while Ms Carrio assets do not include real estate. Another candidate, from the so called traditional Peronists, Alberto Rodriguez Saa did no declaration but it's known that he belongs to a wealthy family which has been virtually running one of Argentina's smallest provinces, Sa Luis, for decades. As to how the Kirchner's, who come from humble homes on both sides, managed to acquire those assets, press reports indicate that for years the couple worked in the mortgage and foreclosure business in Rio Gallegos, and Argentina has a long history of boom bust cycles. With only two weeks to Election Day, Mrs Kirchner leads comfortably in the public opinion polls in the range of 40%. If this is confirmed and her runner up is more than points behind Cristina won't need a runoff and succeeds her husband as Argentine president December 10