Cristina Fernández opts to run for re-election

Argentina's president, affected by a corruption scandal and involved in a renewed row with the Britain over the Falkland Islands, decided yesterday that she will compete in elections on October 23.

As is customary with 58-year-old Fernández, she waited until the last minute to make a key decision about her political future. In 2007, the then-first lady only declared she would run to succeed her husband, Néstor Kirchner, when the deadline was fast approaching. This time the situation was similar: she made her move known three days before the June 25 deadline. What CFK (as she is commonly known) has not revealed is the name of her vice-presidential running mate. She only hinted it will be a young and experienced person, which could point toward a provincial governor.

In the weeks leading to the announcement, Fernández's ambiguous attitude fueled all sorts of speculation. In May, during an event in a Buenos Aires district, she said she was "not desperate to be president again." The death of her husband in late 2010 and her recent health complications, which have forced her to cancel or delay some public events, only ignited more doubts surrounding that key decision. Additionally, a recent scandal concerning the alleged embezzlement of public and private donations by an aide to the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a human rights organization to which the Kirchner couple have given politically and financial backing, has threatened to tarnish the president's image. Sergio Schoklender was asked to step down as an aide to Mothers' president Hebe de Bonafini after reports surfaced that he has allegedly squandered millions from a housing- for-the-needy program set up by the Mothers. A host of complaints have been filed against Schoklender, including a criminal complaint by the Mothers organization itself.

Political analysts agree that Fernández's indecisiveness was a political strategy and that it was not difficult to predict that she would go for a second term.

The country's economy is growing (but so is inflation); her approval rating is around 60 percent; and she leads in vote intention by 43 to 45 percent, which could allow her to win without needing a runoff. Moreover, the opposition does not appear to be strong or united enough to beat her. Her most important contender for the October 23 race will probably be Ricardo Alfonsín, son of the late former president Raúl Alfonsín (1983-1989).

Falklands challenge

Fernández has recently had an intense public agenda, which some say resembles a campaign trail, and has brought to the fore hot topics that boost nationalist sentiments. A week ago, during a visit to Buenos Aires by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, she mentioned the historical row over the Falklands and reiterated that Britain should agree to hold talks over the sovereignty of the oil-rich islands. Days later, she described British Prime Minister David Cameron's refusal to enter negotiations an "expression of mediocrity and almost of stupidity."

It remains to be seen to what extent the renewed focus on the contested Falklands issue could positively or negatively influence Fernández's re-election prospects. For now, the focus is placed on her recent decision to stay in the race and on the open question of her running mate.