Voting begins in Argentina as center-left President Cristina Fernandez appears ready to win a blowout re-election victory that could
lead to more state intervention in the economy.
The combative 58-year-old leader has snapped back from the low approval ratings that dogged her during much of her first
term. She has been helped by an economy growing at about 8 percent annually.
Polls show Fernandez taking a landslide victory on Sunday, with enough votes to avoid a runoff. That would give her a
mandate to continue with policies that have riled pro-market farmers and business leaders. She may also regain the control
of Congress that she lost in the 2009 mid-term election.
The sharp-tongued former senator has nationalized private pension funds, raised taxes on soy exports and kept quotas on
wheat and corn shipments. Growers say such interventionist measures dampen much-needed investment in agriculture, which is
the country's top source of hard currency.
To win re-election on Sunday, Fernandez needs at least 45 percent of the vote or just 40 percent with a lead of 10
percentage points over her closest rival.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters