Opposition wins Argentine election, ending 'Kirchner era'

Opposition candidate Mauricio Macri has won Argentina’s presidential election, marking an end to the left-leaning and often-combative era of President Cristina Fernandez, who along with her late husband dominated the country’s political scene for 12 years and rewrote its social contract.

Ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli, Fernandez’s chosen successor, conceded late Sunday and said he had called Macri to congratulate him on a victory that promises to chart Argentina on a more free-market, less state-interventionist course.

“Today is a historic day,” said Macri, addressing thousands of cheering supporters as horns were heard blaring across Buenos Aires. “It’s the changing of an era.”

With 98 per cent of the vote counted, Macri had 51.45 per cent support compared to 48.55 per cent for Scioli.

The victory by the business-friendly Macri, who gained a national profile as president of the popular Boca Juniors soccer club, comes after he did better than expected in the first round on October 25. The close first round forced a runoff with Scioli, the governor of the vast Buenos Aires province.