Argentina opposition's Macri ahead in presidential election

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Exit polls suggest Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri has won Argentina's presidential election

Centre-right opposition candidate Mauricio Macri is ahead in the presidential election run-off in Argentina, early results suggest.

With almost half the votes counted, Mr Macri has about 54% to his centre-left rival Daniel Scioli's 46%.

Loud cheers erupted at Mr Macri's campaign headquarters after TV exit polls suggested he had won.

A spokesman for Mr Scioli said they would wait for more complete figures to come in before commenting.

Mr Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires, lost to Mr Scioli, who is the governor of Buenos Aires province, in the first round of voting in October by 36.7% to 34.5%.

But neither candidate managed to win the vote outright, forcing a run-off - the first in the country's history - and Mr Scioli lost ground to his rival in the month since.

If Mr Macri's apparent victory is confirmed, it will be the first time in more than a decade that Argentina's centre-right opposition has wrested the presidency from the centre-left Peronists.

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Media captionDaniel Scioli (left) and Mauricio Macri (right) go head-to-head in the run-off vote

Mr Macri, the leader of the Cambiemos (Let's Change) coalition, went into Sunday's vote with a comfortable lead in opinion polls.

He campaigned on pledges to bring new investment into the ailing economy, tackle crime and fight corruption.

The son of one of Argentina's richest men, he had a long career in business before entering politics.

A close ally of current President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Mr Scioli had been expected to win by a greater margin in October.