De La Rua Wins Argentina Vote

Calling his overwhelming election victory a strong mandate to implement his policies, President-elect Fernando de la Rua vowed to blot out corruption and bring Argentines more jobs and better health care.

With 85 percent of the ballot counted late Sunday, preliminary returns showed De la Rua, the opposition leader, with 48.7 percent of the votes. The ruling Peronist party's candidate, Buenos Aires Province Gov. Eduardo Duhalde, had 37.7 percent. The rest of the votes were split among eight other candidates.

De la Rua's victory was a vote for change after the decade-long rule of flamboyant President Carlos Menem.

Â"The people have given us the authority to carry out our program,Â" De la Rua told thousands of joyful supporters Sunday night as election returns confirmed his victory.

De la Rua -- mayor of Buenos Aires and the candidate for the center-left opposition Alliance -- promised to pursue economic policies that do not neglect the poor and needy. He commented on the voter dissatisfaction that propelled him to a resounding victory.

Â"From now, we start a new road,Â" he said as supporters held a huge street fiesta with honking horns and fireworks.

Duhalde conceded defeat, saying he had called De la Rua to congratulate him.

Â"Argentines have elected a president we can all trust, and we must all help him, and I mean all of us,Â" he said early Monday at a news conference. Â"I think people voted for change.Â"

As Menem prepares to relinquish power on Dec. 10, the Argentine economy is mired in a deep recession, with unemployment topping 14 percent. Corruption is widely considered rampant and crime is on the rise.

Â"I voted for a moral change,Â" said Marcelo Trebber, a 29-year-old lawyer who joined the celebration.

He and thousands of others turned out for the victory by the Alliance, a coalition of De la Rua's century-old centrist Radical party and the leftist Front for a Country in Solidarity. People wildly waved the country's blue-and-white flags, banged on drums and jammed a main avenue with caravans of cars and trucks.

Â"We do not expect magic solutions, but we want a government with moral standards,Â" Trebber said.

The focus on fighting corruption, a recurrent theme of De la Rua's speech, won roaring applause from the crowd.

Â"You have elected me president to fight against corruption,Â" he said. Â"Impunity is over.Â"

He said his economic policies will encourage development and productivity, especially for small businesses.

The 62-year-old president-elect also made an appeal for national unity.

Â"The polls always have a clear message, and I understand the message from those who voted for us and those who did not,Â" he said. Â"They all want a new Argentina, that leaves confrontations and divisions behind."

Â"I will be a president for all Argentines.Â"

About 80 percent f the 24 million registered voters cast ballots on Sunday, the electoral board said. Argentines are required by law to vote.

Meanwhile, Menem is expected to run again during the next presidential vote.

By Eduardo Gallardo
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