Early returns in Argentina's presidential primary Sunday showed President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is likely to win, moving her closer to re-election.
With nearly 20% of ballots counted, Fernandez, who has led Argentina since December 2007, had 49% of the vote, the Interior Ministry reported.
Ricardo Alfonsin garnered 13.3%, while former President Eduardo Duhalde claimed 12.1% of the vote in the country's first-ever presidential primary, according to early results.
The three will likely face off against four other candidates in the presidential election on October 23. Candidates must get at least 1.5% of the overall vote Sunday to be on the October ballot.
Taking the stage in front of a vocal crowd at a Buenos Aires hotel Sunday night, Fernandez thanked all Argentinians for casting their votes.
"We have all contributed to increasing democracy today," she said. "Today, Argentina is a freer and more open country than any time since democracy returned in 1983."
Sunday's primary was viewed as a litmus test of Fernandez's popularity and a strong indication as to whether she will win re-election outright in October or face a runoff election on November 20.
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