Destinations Magazine

François Fillon’s Win in France’s Republican Primaries Upends the Presidential Race

By Stizzard
François Fillon’s win in France’s Republican primaries upends the presidential race

HE WAS mocked by advisers to his former boss, ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, as “Mister Nobody”. A month before the vote, he languished in fourth place in the polls. But François Fillon, a former prime minister and amateur racing driver, surged from nowhere to take a stunning lead in the French centre-right Republican primary on November 20th. He took 44% of the vote, next to 29% for the other qualifier and fellow ex-prime minister, Alain Juppé. Mr Fillon is now favoured to win the run-off on November 27th, and possibly become French president next spring.

Mr Fillon’s remarkable last-minute acceleration, which led to the eviction of Mr Sarkozy, was partly thanks to a convincing performance in the primary debates. He came across as measured, sharp and trustworthy—and, at the age of 62, a younger alternative to the disliked Mr Sarkozy than the 71-year-old Mr Juppé. The scale of Mr Fillon’s lead was not captured by polls, in part because many of the 4m voters made up their minds late: fully 53% of his supporters said they decided in the final days.

French centre-right voters now have a choice between two candidates who broadly share a…

The Economist: Europe


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