Argentina's center-left President Alberto Fernandez, struggling in opinion polls ahead of elections next year, wasted no time in rushing to Brazil to congratulate political ally Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after a dramatic win at the ballot box on Sunday.
The Argentine leader and Brazil's President-elect, known usually just as "Lula", met on Monday, pledging a "new era" for the region, where leftist governments have in recent years taken control of major local economies from Colombia to Mexico.
