Voters in Argentina headed to the polls today to choose their next president in an election that will bring an end to 12 years of government under power couple Nestor and Cristina Kirchner.
Their heir apparent, Buenos Aires provincial Governor Daniel Scioli, is poised to win but may undo parts of their controversial legacy.
The frontrunner has vowed to uphold the core elements of "kirchnerism," a populist creed built around trade protectionism, social welfare and defense of the working classes.
But the 58-year-old powerboating fanatic -- who lost his right arm in a 1989 racing accident -- has also vowed a change in style to attract more investment and increase productivity, and has assembled an economic team of free-marketeers.
His top rival is Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri, the candidate of Argentines fed up with what they see as the Kirchners' heavy-handed economic policy and belligerent politics.
Macri, 56, rose to prominence as the boss of Argentina's most popular football club, Boca Juniors, which won a string of titles under his reign.
There may also be a spoiler in the form of Sergio Massa, a former Kirchner ally who fell out with the president and launched a rival party, the Renewal Front, two years ago.
Under Argentine electoral law, in order to win outright in the first round, a candidate must claim more than 45 per cent of the vote, or at least 40 per cent with a margin of 10 points over the runner-up.
Opinion polls have put Scioli at about 40 per cent, with Macri at around 30 per cent and Massa at around 20 per cent -- roughly the same scores seen in the August primary.
That means the country could be headed for its first-ever run-off election, on November 22.
"There's no doubt about who will come in first and second. The real question is whether there will be a second round," said pollster Ricardo Rouvier.
Nestor Kirchner came to office in 2003, in the aftermath of a devastating economic crisis that triggered what was then the largest sovereign debt default in history and sparked deadly riots in the streets.
He presided over a stunning turnaround underpinned by average economic growth of more than eight percent a year, fueled by high prices for Argentina's agricultural exports.
He handed power to his wife in 2007. They were widely expected to continue this term-for-term tango, but Nestor died of a heart attack in 2010.
