Francisco de Narváez, Argentina
Who is he? A millionaire businessman, De Narváez is the leading opposition candidate in Argentina's largest electoral district, the province of Buenos Aires, ahead of mid-term congressional elections on 28 June.
He heads the lower house ticket for the Unión-Pro, a centre-right alliance between dissident members of the ruling Partido Justicialista (PJ, Peronists)and the mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri.
Why watch him? De Narváez's main rival is the government's leading candidate, former president Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007), who is gambling his political authority - and his 2012 presidential ambitions - on a win in the Buenos Aires province, a Peronist party stronghold.
If De Narváez beats Kirchner into second place he would be in a strong position to challenge him for the leadership of the ruling Peronists.
Born: 22 September 1953, in Bogotá, Colombia. De Narváez moved to Buenos Aires at the age of three. His father, Juan de Narváez, was a Colombian coffee merchant and his mother, Doris Steur, is Jewish, of Central European origin.
Education: De Narváez received no formal education beyond senior school. At the age of 17 he started working for his family's business, a major Argentinean supermarket chain called Casa Tía. This was launched in 1946 by his maternal grandfather, Karl Steuer, a toyshop owner from Prague who made his money in the 1930s from a chain of shops called 'Te-Ta' in Czechoslovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia. De Narváez names Steuer, who fled to Argentina following the Nazi invasion of Prague in 1939, as one of his main influences.
Between the ages of 13 and 16 De Narváez attended a military academy in Toronto, an experience which he says taught him discipline. When he arrived at the school he spoke almost no English. During this period his parents separated.
Public Life: De Narváez has been a national deputy for the ruling PJ since 2005, although he has openly opposed Kirchner and his political movement since 2006. He stood, unsuccessfully, to be elected governor of Buenos Aires (one of the country's most important political posts) in 2007. He is also one of Argentina's leading businessmen and is owner or main shareholder of: La Rural SA (a famous exhibition and conference centre in Buenos Aires); the broadcaster, América TV; the Buenos Aires financial newspaper, Ámbito Financiero; the radio station, La Red; and the internet and new technology holding company, D&S.
Time line:
1956: De Narváez, aged three, moves with his parents and three siblings from Bogotá to Buenos Aires.
1966-69: Attends military school in Toronto. Around this time his parents separate.
1970: Enters his maternal grandfather's business, a major supermarket chain called Casa Tía at the age of 17.
1980: Takes over management of the Casa Tía chain, along with his brother Carlos, following the death of his grandfather.
1989: Appointed sole managing director of the company, following differences with his brother Carlos.
1992: Attempts suicide, aged 39, in Buenos Aires' 5-star Hyatt hotel, the consequence of “phenomenal stress". The following year he separated from his first wife.
1999: Sells the Casa Tía chain, in which he held roughly a quarter stake, for US$638m.
1999-2002: Establishes himself as one of Argentina's leading businessmen. Becomes owner or main shareholder of: La Rural SA (a famous exhibition and conference centre in Buenos Aires); the broadcaster América TV; the Buenos Aires financial newspaper Ámbito Financiero; and the radio station La Red. He also acquires a majority stake in internet and new technology holding company, D&S.
2001: Co-founds the political think-tank Fundación Unidos del Sud, which supports De Narváez's friend, the businessman-cum-politician Mauricio Macri (now the mayor of Buenos Aires).
2002: Joins the Partido Justicialista (PJ, Peronists).
2003: Supports (financially and personally) the presidential campaign of PJ candidate, former president Carlos Menem (1989-1999), who promises De Narváez a cabinet post. Despite his lead in the first round, Menem withdraws his candidacy in the second round, and a relative unknown, Néstor Kirchner, comes to power.
July 2004: Finances a large portion of events to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of former President and PJ icon, Juan Perón.
2005: Successfully runs for the lower house on a PJ ticket loyal to the former president (and Kirchner rival), Eduardo Duhalde, in the province of Buenos Aires. Becomes the first person of foreign birth to be elected to congress in Argentina.
2006: Joins “El General", an anti-Kirchnerista Peronist group of PJ deputies and senators. Lends his support to the presidential candidacy of the former PJ economy minister Roberto Lavagna, who ran (unsuccessfully) against the government's candidate and Kirchner's wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
2007: Stands to be governor of Buenos Aires (one of the country's most important political roles), with the support of the capital's mayor, Mauricio Macri. Is beaten into third place (with 14.9% of the vote) by the Kirchnerista Daniel Scioli (48.2%), and the opposition Coalición Cívica candidate Margarita Stolbizer (16.60%).
Early 2009: Forms an anti-Kirchner alliance with fellow Peronist dissident Felipe Solá and Macri's Propuesta Republicana to contest the 28 June mid-terms in the province of Buenos Aires and the capital (the country's two largest electoral districts).
Early June 2009: Accuses the government of “political persecution" after evidence emerges linking him (tenuously) to a trafficker of the drug ephedrine (used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine). De Narváez denies all allegations, refuses to testify and files a malpractice suit against the judge involved (who has a record 37 malpractice charges already against him). The media, for the most part, takes De Narváez's side.
Mid-June 2009: Opinion polls place him neck and neck with Kirchner in the crucial Buenos Aires province.
Strengths: De Narváez is both extremely wealthy and popular. Part of his success in the Buenos Aires race owes to a carefully planned and intense campaign, much of which he has funded himself. Astutely, he has made crime and insecurity - which top the list of public concerns - the focus of this campaign. De Narváez also counts some powerful political figures among his friends - including the popular mayor of Buenos Aires and 2011 presidential hopeful, Mauricio Macri, and the Peronist party baron, Eduardo Duhalde. His market-friendly policies, and solid business background, will appeal to the country's- increasingly fractious - private sector and moderate voters. De Narváez is also well-liked by one of the Kirchners' fiercest opponents: the country's influential farming sector.
Weaknesses: De Narváez is losing potential votes both to Kirchner's Peronism on the one side, and, on the other, the second main opposition force, the centre-left Unión Cívica Radical-Coalición Cívica alliance (UCR-CC). His business-friendly position, and obvious wealth, may alienate supporters of “traditional" Peronism in the province's vast poor and working class suburbs (the 'conurbano'), which form the bedrock of government support. Kirchner has been gleefully exploiting this issue, accusing De Narváez of seeking to “sell the national assets" through privatisation. De Narváez also lacks national appeal, and the backing of a party machine. Even if he wins in Buenos Aires, his faction will remain a minority in congress. Moreover, his group, the Unión-Pro (UP), may face unity problems. De Narváez and the UP's number two candidate, dissident Peronist and presidential hopeful Felipe Solá are known to have a difficult relationship, while the third UP leader, Mauricio Macri, was reportedly miffed that his candidates were marginalised in favour of Peronist nominations.
Prospects: De Narváez is now one of Argentina's most prominent politicians. Since he was born in Colombia, De Narváez is barred from ever running for president. Nevertheless, if he defeats Kirchner, or even comes a close second, he is set to become an important power broker within the PJ, particularly as loyalties begin to shift ahead of the 2011 presidential and congressional elections. The fact that President Cristina Fernández is likely to lose her majority in the lower house on 28 June will increase the importance of dissident factions, including De Narváez's Unión-Pro. De Narváez has made no secret of his ambition to stand for the country's second most important political position - governor of Buenos Aires - in 2011 (he already tried - and failed - in 2007, see timeline). He may also find that he is well-placed to challenge Kirchner for the presidency of the PJ.