Argentina's First Lady and presidential candidate Senator Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner attend a rally in the central city of Santa Fe October 11. - REuters

CIUDAD EVITA, Argentina (Reuters):

Life has improved in the sprawling suburbs and dirt-poor slums that circle Argentina's capital, and that could be enough to propel first lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to the presidency.

About a quarter of Argentines live in the outskirts of Buenos Aires in neighbourhoods like Ciudad Evita (Evita City), where the grip of the Peronist party seems unshakable ahead of the Oct. 28 presidential election. 'Cristina' is daubed across walls, while opposition banners are few and far between.

Some children still pick through the rubbish beside Ciudad Evita's shanty towns, and residents complain about crime and drug use. But Argentina's recovery from a deep economic crisis in 2001-02 has started to improve the lives of many.

"Five years ago, my neighbours were in a bad way, and now it's a lot better ... People are getting jobs for the first time in many years," said Esther de Lopez, 45, as she sat in a Peronist campaign hut beneath a photo of Eva 'Evita' Peron, the popular wife of former strongman Gen. Juan Peron.

Like many, she thanks President Nestor Kirchner and hopes Fernandez can continue the progress seen since her husband was elected on the smouldering ashes of the crisis in 2003.

No coincidence

"Cristina became popular because of President Kirchner and the way they've sorted out so many problems," Lopez said.

Ciudad Evita, named after Peron's wife, belongs to the working-class district of La Matanza, which has more than 1.3 million residents and is a treasured prize for politicians on the campaign trail.

It is no coincidence that Fernandez has chosen La Matanza for her final campaign rally before the election, just as her husband did four years earlier. With polls showing the senator has a lead of nearly 30 points over her nearest rival, it may look more like a victory march.