Buenos Aires: Argentina's glamorous first lady, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, claimed victory in her bid to succeed her husband and become the first woman in her country's history to be elected president.

In the rare handover, Cristina de Kirchner claimed victory in a televised address to the nation.

"We have won by a large margin," the 54-year-old senator told cheering supporters in a speech broadcast live on television hours after polls closed yesterday.

Cristina has secured 43 per cent of the votes of Argentina’s 27 million strong electorate, way ahead of the 12 per cent that her nearest rival got.

If maintained, that score will make her the outright victor of the election without the need for a runoff in November. With her husband on stage with her, applauding her words, Fernandez made special mention "of the man who is at my side today, and who has been my companion all my life," and blew him a kiss.

In the lead-up to the elections -- which she entered as the solid favourite -- she emphasised her husband's presidential record more than her own two decades in politics as a lawmaker.

Current President Nestor Kirchener has been credited with the country's impressive economic turnaround Cristina is expected to gain from this sentiment.

Argentina was still in a poor state after its 2001 economic collapse, which saw it become the biggest-ever sovereign debt defaulter. Since then, under Kirchener’s four-year mandate, the economy has grown nearly 50 per cent and unemployment has halved.

He, however, has not explained why he is stepping down. A politician in her own right, Cristina is a long-time senator and has been her husband's top advisor during his presidency.

(With inputs from PTI)

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