Polls show Mrs Kirchner has an 18 point lead over her runner up

[Judi Lynn]

Sunday, July 10th 2011 - 06:00 UTC
Polls show Mrs Kirchner has an 18 point lead over her runner up

Mrs. Kirchner support now stands at 38.3%, up 4.9 percentage points from three weeks ago, according to a survey by local pollsters Management & Fit. The president made a long-awaited announcement that she would seek a second term on June 22.

Alfonsin, a social democratic legislator and son of former President Raul Alfonsin, polled at 23.2% of potential votes, up nearly 8 percentage points from last month and putting him 15 points behind Fernandez. Her lead stood at 18 points in the prior survey.

The centre-left Peronist president has approval ratings of about 50%, buoyed by swift economic growth of around 9% annually, a fragmented opposition and lingering sympathy nine months after her powerful husband died.

Cristina Fernandez chose Economy Minister Amado Boudou as her vice presidential candidate and vowed to continue current policies, which include a strong state hand in the economy, heavy energy and transportation subsidies and trade protectionism.

More:
http://en.mercopress.com/2011/07/10/polls-show-mrs-kirchner-has-an-18-point-lead-over-her-runner-up