Alain Juppe rules himself out of French Presidency
PARIS: Deepening the crisis among France’s conservatives, former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe firmly declined on Monday to step into the country’s presidential race to rescue his party’s chances in the event that embattled Francois Fillon withdraws his damaged bid.
Once the front-runner in France’s two-round, April-May presidential race, Fillon’s prospects are imploding as he faces possible corruption charges on March 15 for arranging government-paid jobs for his wife and two of his children. Top allies have left his campaign and the situation has created a deep chasm among French right-wingers.
Moments after former President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a meeting with both Fillon and Juppe, the Bordeaux mayor who was defeated by Fillon in the conservative primary said he would not be ‘Plan B’ for their Republicans party. "It’s too late," he told reporters, accusing Fillon of leading the French right into a political "dead end" with his stubbornness in claiming that he is the victim of a political plot. "What a waste," Juppe said. "Last week I received many calls asking me to take over. They made me hesitate, I thought about it. Today, uniting everyone has become even more difficult." Republicans party members have become even more anxious after a poll released Sunday suggested that Juppe would have a better chance at reaching the presidential runoff than Fillon.
Once the front-runner in France’s two-round, April-May presidential race, Fillon’s prospects are imploding as he faces possible corruption charges on March 15 for arranging government-paid jobs for his wife and two of his children. Top allies have left his campaign and the situation has created a deep chasm among French right-wingers.
Moments after former President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a meeting with both Fillon and Juppe, the Bordeaux mayor who was defeated by Fillon in the conservative primary said he would not be ‘Plan B’ for their Republicans party. "It’s too late," he told reporters, accusing Fillon of leading the French right into a political "dead end" with his stubbornness in claiming that he is the victim of a political plot. "What a waste," Juppe said. "Last week I received many calls asking me to take over. They made me hesitate, I thought about it. Today, uniting everyone has become even more difficult." Republicans party members have become even more anxious after a poll released Sunday suggested that Juppe would have a better chance at reaching the presidential runoff than Fillon.
