Buenos Aires - Mr Fernando de la Rua faced the daunting task of salvaging his electoral mandate yesterday, after suffering heavy defeats in the elections the day before.
In elections rife with unmarked ballots and abstentions, the conservative Peronist opposition Justicialist party (PJ) won 34 per cent of votes against 21 per cent for the ruling Alianza UCR-Frepaso coalition, with 17 of 24 precincts reporting.