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Argentine opposition leader confident of winning presidential elections

24 September 2011 02:08 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. One of Argentina’s main opposition presidential candidates on Friday expressed confidence that his coalition, the Ample and Progressive Front (FAP), will be able to win in the upcoming presidential elections, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Hermes Binner, the leader of the Socialist Party who heads the FAP alliance and one of the 6 candidates running against incumbent President Cristina Fernandez, said the opposition is well prepared to at least secure a run-off in the October 23 vote.

However, latest opinion polls showed Binner is running second with 19 percent of the votes, considerably behind Fernandez who is expected to win the first round with just over 50 percent of the votes.

In Argentina, as in most other Latin American countries, a candidate must secure an over 50 percent majority of the votes in order to win. If no candidate wins more than half of the votes in the Argentine presidential elections, the two candidates with the most votes will face each other in a run-off, which will take place on November 20.

"We are prepared to win or to make a draw and then go on to the run-off vote," Binner said at a press conference held at Argentina’s Foreign Correspondent Association in Buenos Aires.

He reconfirmed his political views that he opposes abortion and as a doctor considers himself to be supporting the pro-life movement, but he believes that women seeking an abortion should not be penalized.

He also said much more must be done to reduce poverty in Argentina.

"Argentina can become so much better than what we are seeing today," said Binner.