TOPIC: cristina kirchner

There are still two months before Argentines select their next leader, and depending on the outcome, there could also be a runoff in December. But after last week's PASO — as the country's primary-election mechanism is known — there is a widespread perception that voters have already made their choice.

The decade-old PASO system is particular in that it involves all of the country's parties and potential presidential candidates, and is thus more of a preview election than a simple weeding out process. In this case, the Aug. 11 vote also proved to be something of a spoiler given the disparity between the top two finishers: Peronist candidate Alberto Fernández and current President Mauricio Macri.

Polls predicted that Fernández would top Macri in the PASO, but not, as it turned out, by more than 15 percentage points (47.7% versus 32.1%). As a result, many now see the Oct. 27 presidential election as a done deal, and view Fernández as a kind of de facto president-elect. The fact that none of this will be official for at least another nine weeks makes the whole process even more curious.

In an exclusive interview with Clarín, the Peronist candidate opens up about his better-than-expected PASO victory, and looks ahead to October and beyond.