Pro-market Macri wins Argentina presidency

Argentina, in a stinging repudiation of outgoing leftist President Cristina Kirchner, elected a pro-market government Presi-dent to take the helm of Latin America’s third-big-gest economy.

Conservative President-elect Mauricio Macri, fresh from Sunday’s run-off election win, promised a “marvellous” new era was starting for his country, beleaguered by years of economic instability. A former football executive and favourite candidate of big businesses and foreign investors, Mr Macri is expected to be Argentina’s most economically liberal leader since the 1990s.

“This is a historic day, a change of era which is going to be marvellous,” a beaming Mr Macri told cheering supporters after his leftist rival Daniel Scioli conceded defeat. “We cannot waste time on revenge or score-settling,” he said late Sunday. Shortly afterwards he swung his hips, dancing Argentine “cumbia” to deafening music.

Mr Macri and Mr Scioli fought a tense battle for votes in a country largely weary after 12 years under leftist leader Ms Kirchner and her predecessor and late husband Nestor Kirchner.

Breaking with 12 years of leftist rule, Mr Macri has vowed to ease foreign trade and dollar restrictions.

Celebrating on Sunday, he said it was time “to build an Argentina with zero poverty, defeat drug-trafficking and strengthen democracy” in the country.

Official results gave Mr Macri 51.8 per cent of the votes and 48.2 per cent for Mr Scioli, with 95 per cent of ballots counted.

Mr Macri is expected to have warmer relations wi-th countries such as Brit-ain and the United States. “We want to have good relations with all countries,” Mr Macri said on Sunday.