France's Fillon in a strong position to contest presidential election

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former prime minister Francois Fillon looked on Friday, Nov. 25 to be in a strong position to claim his center-right party's nomination to contest next year's French presidential election as he and rival Alain Juppe held final rallies of the primary campaign, Reuters said.

In an impassioned speech to supporters in Paris, Fillon, 62, struck a strong patriotic note, vowing to halt "the decline of France" under the ruling Socialists by sticking to what he said was a realistic program that included ending the 35-hour working week and making big savings by slashing public spending.

Juppe, 71, also a former prime minister, defended his more moderate policies, telling supporters: "I'm not going to engage in any grandstanding against our public service. I want to manage, not demonize, it."

A new survey issued on Friday night saw Fillon as clear favorite, winning Sunday's vote with 61 percent against Juppe's 39 percent.

The ballot on Sunday will send one of the two veteran conservatives into an electoral battle that opinion polls say will boil down finally to a duel with far-right leader Marine Le Pen next May.

Fillon, who defied predictions to emerge as surprise winner of Les Republicain' first-round primary on Nov. 20, is tipped to win the second round with two-thirds of the vote. He was also boosted by a convincing performance in a televised debate.

Even as their supporters prepared for the last rallies, Paris's chief prosecutor issued a reminder of the security threat that has hung over France since Islamist militants killed 130 people in attacks in Paris in November 2015.