Bringing a country down in the name of the poor

Argentines flood the streets to protest against President Cristina Fernandez

Brandishing banners and banging on pots and pans, thousands of Argentines take to streets of Buenos Aires to protest against President Cristina Fernandez.

An estimated 700,000 people gathered around the city's landmark obelisk and other main avenues to march towards the Casa Rosada, theArgentine seat of government.

High crime, inflation of roughly 25 per cent a year, and a possible bid by government allies to reform the constitution to allow Ms Fernandez to run for a third term are also stoking unrest, particularly among middle-class Argentines. Her government has virtually banned dollar purchases and it limited imports this year, worsening a steep economic slowdown.

Protesters in neighbourhoods throughout Buenos Aires waved signs demanding freedom, transparency and an end to crime and corruption.

The event, known in Argentina as 8N, for the 8th of November, was planned months in advance and was heavily advertised in social media networks.

The centre-left leader won easy re-election a year ago but her approval ratings have slid since. A recent poll by the Management & Fit consultancy puts her approval rating at 31.6 per cent in October, up 1 percentage point from a month earlier, while her rejection rating dipped slightly to 59.3 per cent.

Fernandez's government spends heavily to stoke high economic growth and backs big wage hikes that tend to mirror inflation.

Supporters claim protesters merely represent middle and upper class frustrations with the left-leaning government and not the population at large.