Don’t be fooled by her coquettish style, colourful designer clothes or signature long hair, bold make-up and chunky jewellery. Cristina Fernández is not a Latin American lady who lunches, but a shrewd politician set for victory in Argentine presidential elections on Sunday.

As wife of President Néstor Kirchner, the 54-year-old senator wielded power behind the scenes as one of only a handful of trusted advisers, more likely to sit in on meetings with heads of state than perform typical first lady duties.