France's former prime minister Francois Fillon is to be the conservative candidate in next year's presidential election after winning his party's primary race.
Fillon, running as a centre-right candidate, defeated Alain Juppe, another ex-prime minister, who conceded within hours of the polls closing, having secured only 33 per cent of the vote.
"Victory is mine. It is a substantive victory built on belief," said Fillon.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The win is a "stunning victory for the candidate once seen as the 'third man' in the contest", says the BBC.
The Guardian reports Fillon's campaign gathered momentum in the days leading up to the vote, after he wrote a book on the "dangers of 'Islamic totalitarianism' in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in France".
Fillon, who was prime minister from 2007 to 2012 under Nicolas Sarkozy, is expected to face far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential election next April.
Polls suggest Le Pen will make it through to the final round, but "it would be difficult for her to win", The Guardian says.
The prospect of a run-off between Le Pen and Fillon marks a major shift in French politics away from the left, says CNN.
It adds: "Voters are widely expected to boot out the Socialist Party that has ruled France since 2012 under the leadership of President Francois Hollande, whose popularity is waning."
Fillon said: "The left has failed and the far-right means bankruptcy", adding: "My job is to rise to the challenge of changing France and changing its software."
Infographic by www.statista.com for TheWeek.co.uk.
Nicolas Sarkozy out of France's presidential race
21 November
France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has been knocked out of the Republican party primary after polling third behind ex-prime ministers Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe in the battle to be presidential candidate for the centre-right group.
More than 2.5 million people voted in the first round of the race and with most of the ballots counted, Fillon led with 44.1 per cent, followed by Juppe with 28.3 per cent and Sarkozy in third place with 20.9 per cent.
"I have no bitterness, I have no sadness and I wish the best for my country," said the politician.
Sarkozy failed to win the nomination because of his "enduringly unpopular personality after five years in power," The Guardian says.
It adds: "A very large majority of French voters on both the left and right clearly didn't want to see him in power again."
Fillon and Juppe will compete in a run-off election on Sunday.
Fillon is regarded as an Anglophile and the most pro-business of the candidates. "I'm tagged with a liberal label as one would once, in the Middle Ages, paint crosses on the doors of lepers," he has said.
The winner is expected to compete against National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who has enjoyed a surge in the polls, says The Independent, adding to "growing fears that the rise of global populism could see Ms Le Pen secure a surprise victory in the wake of the UK's Brexit vote and Donald Trump's US election win".
Infographic by www.statista.com for TheWeek.co.uk.
-
Quiz of The Week: 18 – 24 OctoberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will Grace Wales Bonner change Hermès for the better?Podcast Plus will nuclear fusion deliver us from climate change? Is humour the best way to take on Trump?
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A fluffy hug, a toppled tower, and more
-
The WW2 massacre dividing Senegal and FranceUnder the Radar A new investigation found the 1944 Thiaroye attack on ‘unarmed’ African soldiers was ‘premeditated’, and far deadlier than previously recorded
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Prime minister shocks France with resignationSpeed Read French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu submitted his government’s resignation after less than a month in office
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
