Argentina elections: President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner noticeably absent as nation goes to the polls

Some in Argentina believe Ms Fernandez does not want to be associated with a defeat for the nation's ruling party

Polls suggest that Daniel Scioli of the Front for Victory party wll lose to the opposition leader, Mauricio Macri (AFP)

Daniel Scioli – the man selected by Argentina’s ruling party to be outgoing President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s successor – has a problem. His opponent in Sunday's run-off vote to select a new leader, Mauricio Macri, is ahead in the polls, and Ms Fernandez, who might be expected to be fiercely campaigning for Mr Scioli, has been noticeably absent.

Some in Argentina believe the reason for this is clear: Ms Fernandez, who is constitutionally barred from running for president this time, does not want to be associated with defeat.

“For sure she is distancing herself from Scioli. And she is playing the fiddle while Rome burns,” says Pablo Dilu, 32, an undecided voter.

Mr Macri, the opposition leader, has said he will move away from the populist policies of Ms Fernandez’s Front for Victory party, promising reforms to tackle deep economic imbalances. Should Mr Macri prove successful in his Cambiemos (“Let’s change”) campaign and be elected president, Argentinians will experience change right away. Offering an alternative to Peronist policies, Mr Macri wants to reduce subsidies, privatise several national companies – among others, national airline Aerolinas – and open up the Argentinian market to foreign trade.

Mr Scioli would follow a path similar to the one set by Ms Fernandez, with welfare and social programmes a priority. In that sense, the election is a test of the populist legacy of Ms Fernandez, whose eight years in power – Argentina’s two-term limit – were preceded by the four-year presidency of her late husband, Nestor Kirchner.

Many Peronists believe that if Mauricio Macri wins, his policies will hit people with low-paid jobs the hardest (Getty)

Supporters of Front for Victory claim that Ms Fernandez is doing Mr Scioli a favour. Nuir Hadad, a 26-year-old nurse and Scioli voter, thinks that the President does not want people to think of Mr Scioli as a puppet who is having his strings pulled. “She is quiet to not scare voters away. She wants the Front for Victory party to win,” said Ms Hadad.

However, that may not be enough. An average of the latest polls suggests that Mr Macri has a comfortable lead. He has gained support in the Buenos Aires suburbs where the country’s highest concentration of voters is located. Last month a Macri ally, Maria Eugenia Vidal, won the Buenos Aires governorship, galvanising his support base.

Many Peronists believe that if Mr Macri wins, his policies will hit people with low-paid jobs the hardest, as a lot of these jobs are currently subsidised by the state, a policy instigated by Ms Fernandez. “I’ve got two little children. I want a good future for them, regardless of our income,” says Ms Hadad, clutching her two-year-old daughter, Dahlia.

Mr Scioli has the support of millions of voters such as Ms Hadad, who trust the government to provide prosperity more than a free market created by economic reforms and cannot be discounted.

Families are split over their voting intentions. From a room in the back of Ms Hadad’s flat, a gruff voice shouts: “Cambiemos!”

The voice belongs to Ms Hadad’s father, Ricardo Poblete, 63, who has an import/export business, and who will vote for Mr Macri.

“He’s just worried about his business. Macri is only good for the rich people,” Ms Hadad’s husband, Walter, 42, said about his father-in-law.

Once the dust has settled after the election, however, Mr Dilu sees a comeback on the cards. He is certain that President Fernandez will turn the situation to her advantage with a comeback as opposition leader – and he believes that after that, the ruling Front for Victory party candidate in 2019 will be the current president.

“See? I took you from the crisis. Now they will bring back the crisis. So here I am, again,” he says, impersonating Ms Fernandez.

Ms Fernandez is known for her outspoken personality, and no matter who wins on Sunday, it would not surprise many if she returned to her usual self after the election.

Many are in no doubt she will be on the sidelines, telling the new president what he should be doing, and how everything was better in the her era.

That era might be paused tomorrow, but a number of voters believe that if Ms Fernandez has her way, it is an era that is far from over.