First lady claims victory in Argentina vote

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 29 (Reuters) First lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner claimed victory in Argentina's presidential election and was set to become the country's first elected woman leader.

''We've won by a wide margin,'' she told followers in a speech at her campaign bunker yesterday.

Fernandez declared victory after exit polls showed her winning as much as 46 percent of the vote. Early official results also showed the 54-year-old senator with 42.39 per cent, enough to win a first-round victory and avoid a runoff election next month.

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