The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Buenos Aires

Argentina goes to the polls Sunday to elect a new head of state, with all signs pointing to First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner becoming the country's first elected woman president. Fernandez, a glamorous 54-year-old senator, was the unanimous pick in all voter intention surveys carried out before the vote. She is credited with enough support to crush the 13 other candidates and succeed her husband President Nestor Kirchner. A lawyer who got her taste of executive power during her husband's term in office, Fernandez has been frequently compared to US senator and former first lady Hillary Clinton. Her strongest support comes from Argentina's poor -- put at a quarter of the 40-million strong population -- who want to see a continuation of the leftist policies brought in under Kirchner that have turned the economy around since a 2001 crash.