France’s Fillon keeps bid alive as rival rules self out

Paris, Monday

Former French prime minister Alain Juppe ruled himself out today as an alternative to his rightwing party colleague Francois Fillon whose campaign has been thrown into chaos by a fake job scandal.

Juppe, 71, was the most likely candidate to step in for Fillon and try to unite their deeply divided Republicans party only seven weeks from the start of the two-stage election.

Polls suggest Juppe would be more popular with voters, but the centrist is considered too soft on immigration and other social issues for many of Fillon’s supporters and the right flank of the party.

“I confirm for a final time that I will not be a candidate to be president of the republic,” Juppe said in a downbeat statement that criticised Fillon and the “confused” conditions for the election.

His decision removes a major rival for Fillon, whose bid for the presidency remains on track despite mounting criticism within the party and falling poll numbers.

The conservative 63-year-old was once a clear favourite to be France’s next leader but his campaign is mired in accusations he used public funds to pay his wife hundreds of thousands of euros for fake parliamentary jobs. - AFP

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