Tens of thousands of Argentines paid tribute today to former president Nestor Kirchner, whose death rallied markets but robbed his wife and successor president Cristina Fernandez of her closest adviser.
Mr Kirchner, who was 60, was Argentina's most powerful politician and a leading contender for next year's presidential election. His sudden death ended the Kirchners' apparent plan to continue alternating in power, but his wife could run again.
Argentine stock and bond prices rose a day after Mr Kirchner died of a heart attack at the couple's weekend retreat in Patagonia, boosted by confidence among investors who disliked his unorthodox economic policies.
Ms Fernandez, dressed in black and wearing dark glasses, was joined by South American presidents, her two children and local celebrities, including former soccer star Diego Maradona, at a wake in the presidential palace.
Supporters filed past Kirchner's closed coffin, some weeping and punching their fists in the air. Outside in the square facing the famous pink palace, crowds waved the national flag and carried banners bearing messages of support.
"He was the best president we've ever had. He got on well with the man in the street," said Dalia Mendoza. Others compared him to former strongman Gen. Peron, whose figure still looms large in Argentine politics as the namesake of the Peronist party that Mr Kirchner led.
Many in Argentina credit centre-leftist Mr Kirchner with leading the country out of a crippling 2001-2002 economic crisis. His criticism of free-market policies, big business and the International Monetary Fund struck a chord with crisis-weary Argentines.
But foreign investors disliked his interventionist economic policies and combative style, and never forgave him for the tough 2005 renegotiation of some $100 billion in defaulted bonds, which stuck creditors with a steep discount.
Mr Kirchner was still popular when he decided to step aside and let his wife, an influential politician in her own right, run for president in 2007.
The husband-and-wife team had long taken turns in the limelight and Fernandez was better-known for years as an Argentine senator than her husband, who was a provincial governor in southern Argentina.
Mr Kirchner's departure shakes up Argentina's fractious political scene as attention turns to the October 2011 vote, and some analysts think Ms Fernandez could now adopt a more conciliatory approach in a bid to shore up her support.
Ms Fernandez's approval ratings hover at around 35 per cent, too low to suggest she could win a first-round victory in the 2011 vote, though slightly above her late husband's ratings in recent polls.
The loss of her main broker may shift the balance of power in the government and its alliances with the trade unions.
"The boss has gone, we need to see it in those terms," said Argentine political analyst Jorge Giacobbe. "The battle to influence her, to assume Nestor's role, has already started ... what direction she takes depends on who manages to do that."
But Fernandez, who has maintained his policies and will likely keep the same circle of advisers, may get a popularity boost as voters recall the boom years of her husband's presidency when South America's No. 2 economy rebounded.
Argentina, a leading agricultural exporter, has benefited from a boom in commodities prices since its economic debacle nine years ago that plunged millions of Argentines into poverty and prompted a massive default and sharp devaluation.
But critics of the presidential couple say they have failed to put Argentina on a path toward sustainable growth, tackle high inflation or build consensus with key economic sectors such as the farmers with whom Mr Kirchner repeatedly clashed.
Reuters