BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Argentines paid tribute on Thursday to former President Nestor Kirchner, whose death rallied markets but robbed his wife and successor President Cristina Fernandez of her closest adviser.
Kirchner, 60, was Argentina's most powerful politician and a leading contender for next year's presidential election. His sudden death ended the Kirchners' apparent plan to continue alternating in power, but she could run again.
Argentine stock and bond prices rose a day after Kirchner died of a heart attack at the couple's weekend retreat in Patagonia, boosted by confidence among investors who disliked his unorthodox economic policies.
Fernandez, dressed in black, was joined by South American presidents, her two children and local celebrities, including former soccer star Diego Maradona, at a wake in the presidential palace.
Wearing dark sunglasses, her face etched with grief, the president patted her heart with her right hand as she smiled sadly and nodded toward friends and political allies who filed past her husband's coffin.
"Strength, Cristina, strength," some called out.
Outside in the square facing the famous pink palace, crowds waved the national flag and carried banners bearing messages of support. They stood about a dozen deep around the presidential palace, the ground beneath them strewn with flowers.
"He was the best president we've ever had. He got on well with the man in the street," said housewife Dalia Mendoza, 45. Others compared him to former strongman General Juan Peron, whose figure still looms large in Argentine politics as the namesake of the Peronist party that Kirchner led.
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Kirchner, 60, was Argentina's most powerful politician and a leading contender for next year's presidential election. His sudden death ended the Kirchners' apparent plan to continue alternating in power, but she could run again.
Argentine stock and bond prices rose a day after Kirchner died of a heart attack at the couple's weekend retreat in Patagonia, boosted by confidence among investors who disliked his unorthodox economic policies.
Fernandez, dressed in black, was joined by South American presidents, her two children and local celebrities, including former soccer star Diego Maradona, at a wake in the presidential palace.
Wearing dark sunglasses, her face etched with grief, the president patted her heart with her right hand as she smiled sadly and nodded toward friends and political allies who filed past her husband's coffin.
"Strength, Cristina, strength," some called out.
Outside in the square facing the famous pink palace, crowds waved the national flag and carried banners bearing messages of support. They stood about a dozen deep around the presidential palace, the ground beneath them strewn with flowers.
"He was the best president we've ever had. He got on well with the man in the street," said housewife Dalia Mendoza, 45. Others compared him to former strongman General Juan Peron, whose figure still looms large in Argentine politics as the namesake of the Peronist party that Kirchner led.
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