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France 2017 Presidential Election: Ex-PM Juppe Denies Replacing Fillon

France 2017 Presidential Election: Ex-PM Juppe Denies Replacing Fillon
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Local Editor

French former Prime Minister Alain Juppe refuted rumors on Monday that he intended to replace The Republicans' presidential candidate Francois Fillon in the ongoing presidential race amid Fillon's fake job scandal.

France 2017 Presidential Election: Ex-PM Juppe Denies Replacing Fillon

"It is difficult to understand where these rumors come from. I've already expressed my position: clearly and definitely not," Juppe told journalists, as quoted by Le Parisien newspaper.

Juppe reiterated his statement on Twitter, where he wrote that "a no is a no."

In November 2016, Fillon defeated Juppe in the second round of the center-right primaries, receiving over 4.1 million of votes.

Fillon, who was initially one of the pollsters' favorites, saw his ratings drop after the scandal broke out in late January around his wife allegedly having been paid from state funds for jobs without exercising her duties. French media also questioned Fillon's children's employment as his parliamentary assistants between 2005 and 2007.

The French police, which opened a probe into the matter, carried out searches in the headquarters of the magazine where his wife Penelope Fillon used to work and in the French Senate. On Saturday, French media published the copies of checks that supposedly serve as evidence of Fillon misappropriating public funds.

The center-right candidate denied all accusations and pledged to continue fighting. On Sunday, a poll by Ifop revealed that as many as 68 percent of French respondents believe that Fillon should step down as a presidential candidate.

The first round of the French presidential elections is scheduled for April 23, with the run-off slated for May 7.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

 

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