MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Polls unanimous: four more years of Kirchner dynasty

Argentina's First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Argentina's First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is set to win Sunday's presidential election according to all the public opinion polls published in the Buenos Aires media a few hours before the two days ban on political campaigning becomes effective.

In the eight polls published by Buenos Aires daily Clarin, Mrs Kirchner comes out comfortably ahead with 41.7 to 49.4% of the vote and no need for a run off, while center left Elisa Carrió figures as runner up but on average twenty points behind. In only one of the eight polls Mrs Kirchner would be forced to a run off. Under the Argentine electoral system a presidential candidate avoids a run off with 45% of the vote or 40% plus at least ten points difference over the second best. La Nacion publishes the Poliarquía opinion poll (the only pollster with no contracts with the Kirchner administration), and this also shows Cristina with 46.7% of the vote followed by Ms Carrio with 21.8%. All polls show former Economy minister Roberto Lavagna in third place On Wednesday late evening in the closing rally of her campaign Mrs Kirchner praised her husband's administration achievements and promised to continue advancing in creating jobs, health and education, the "dreams still missing". "We still have Argentines out of a job and this coming 28 we will be on the path to make these dreams come true", underscored Cristina who held her campaign closing electoral rally in a stronghold of the Buenos Aires province, which is the largest and most decisive circumscription to win the Argentine presidency. Ms Carrió organized her final rally in an exhibition center and called on the working class to join her, "the time has come to take the poor out of poverty". She also criticized the "arrogance" of the current leaders of Argentina. This Sunday Argentines will be voting for president, vicepresident, governors from eight of the 23 provinces, half the Lower House and a third of the Senate. Voting in Argentina is compulsory and some analysts anticipate that those voting blank or annulling their ballots could represent a surprising percentage. Besides three days before voting day, 8.6% of interviews remained undecided.