Menem Quits Argentina Presidential Race

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, May 15, 2003

Menem Quits Argentina Presidential Race

Carlos Menem quit Argentina's presidential race Wednesday, clearing the path to the presidency for front-runner Nestor Kirchner.

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Carlos Menem quit Argentina's presidential race Wednesday, clearing the path to the presidency for front-runner Nestor Kirchner.

Menem, a 72-year-old former president, confirmed he was abandoning his underdog battle for a third term in office. In live televised comments from his native western province of La Rioja, he said he was cutting short his campaign for a May 18 runoff.

"Now we have to look to the future," Menem said as he was jostled by weeping supporters. "We have to start over again."

Menem's departure clears the way for Argentina's electoral authorities to proclaim Kirchner as the country's next president.

But before that can occur, Argentine law requires Menem to withdraw in writing to election officials. Kirchner, a 53-year-old governor of southern Santa Cruz province, could then be certified the winner.

The announcement ended two days of turmoil and uncertainty surrounding Argentina's election process, aimed at finding a successor to Duhalde. He leaves office May 25 after 17 months of rocky attempts to guide Argentina out of its worst economic crisis in history.

Menem's campaign showed signs of unraveling last week after several major polls predicted Kirchner would take a landslide victory over the former two-term president.

The political drama marked the biggest political setback yet for Menem, an unabashed free-market advocate who dominated the country's political landscape from more than a decade.

Source: Agencies

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