Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the wife of Argentina’s president, Néstor Kirchner, has become the first woman to be elected President in Argentina’s history.
Mrs. Kirchner, 54, the center-left Peronist party candidate and a senator, defeated a fractured opposition and avoided a runoff.
With 96 percent of the voting locations reporting, Mrs. Kirchner had 45 percent, ahead of Elisa Carrio, a center-left congresswoman, who had 23 percent, and Roberto Lavagna, a former finance minister, who had 17 percent, according to ministry of interior figures.
Mrs. Kirchner declared victory late Sunday. In a speech, she said she felt a responsibility not only to lead her country, but “an immense responsibility for my gender.” She also paid homage to her husband’s accomplishments.
