Human rights groups support ruling party candidate in Argentine presidential runoff election

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Several Argentine human rights groups, including the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, are endorsing ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli in Sunday's presidential runoff election.

The groups expressed their support at a Wednesday news conference. They say the ruling party has focused on what is best for all Argentines with policies of "inclusion" that they say would be threatened by an opposition victory.

Outgoing President Cristina Fernandez and late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, made uncovering human rights abuses and trying perpetrators from the military dictatorship central in their administrations. Rights groups estimate 30,000 people were killed or disappeared during the 1976-83 dirty war.

Opposition candidate Mauricio Macri has called the rights polices under Fernandez "vindictive" and says the government must focus on human rights abuses of the 21st century.