BUENOS AIRES: Argentina's conservative president-elect Mauricio Macri promised a "marvelous" new era was starting for the country after he won a runoff election on Sunday.
The former football executive, favored candidate of big businesses and foreign investors, is expected to be Argentina's most economically liberal leader since the 1990s.
"This is a historic day, a change of era which is going to be marvelous," a beaming Macri told cheering supporters after his leftist rival Daniel Scioli conceded defeat.
"We cannot waste time on revenge or score-settling," he said. Shortly afterwards he was swung his hips, dancing Argentine "cumbia" to deafening music.
Macri and Scioli fought a tense battle for votes in a country largely weary after 12 years under leftist leader Cristina Kirchner and her predecessor and late husband Nestor Kirchner.
Breaking with 12 years of leftist rule in Latin America's third-biggest economy, Macri has vowed to ease foreign trade and dollar restrictions.
Celebrating on Sunday, he said it was time "to build an Argentina with zero poverty, defeat drug-trafficking and strengthen democracy" in the country.
Official results gave Macri 51.8 percent of the votes and 48.2 percent for Scioli, with 95 percent of ballots counted.
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