Juppe rules out presidency bid amid Fillon turmoil
FORMER French prime minister Alain Juppe has declined to step into the country’s presidential race to rescue his party’s chances should embattled candidate Francois Fillon withdraw.
Once the front-runner in France’s presidential race, conservative Mr Fillon’s prospects are imploding as he faces possible corruption charges for arranging government-paid jobs for his Welsh wife and two of his children.
Top allies have fled his campaign, and the situation has created a deepening crisis for French conservatives.
Moments after former president Nicolas Sarkozy called for a meeting with both Mr Fillon and Mr Juppe, the Bordeaux mayor, who was defeated by Mr Fillon in the conservative primary, said he would not amount to a “Plan B” for The Republicans party.
“It’s too late,” he told reporters, accusing Mr Fillon of leading the French right into a political “dead end” with his stubbornness in claiming he is the victim of a political plot.
Mr Juppe said: “What a waste. 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 members have become even more anxious after a poll suggested Mr Juppe would have a better chance at reaching the presidential run-off than Mr Fillon.
Mr Fillon’s image of honesty, which helped him secure The Republicans’ nomination, has been severely dented since the scandal – dubbed Penelopegate – broke.
Polls are now suggesting that farright leader Marine Le Pen and centrist independent candidate Emmanuel Macron will come out on top in the first-round presidential vote on April 23. The top two will then go on to compete in the May 7 presidential run-off.
“I don’t intent to engage in partisan bargaining for positions,” Mr Juppe said. “I’m not in a position today to achieve the required unity behind a unifying project. I confirm, once and for all, that I will not bid for French president.”
Mr Juppe agreed to meet Mr Sarkozy and Mr Fillon but their encounter is not expected to bear fruit now that Mr Juppe has ruled himself out.
Mr Juppe’s decision, however, does not end the political negotiations within the divided party, with its political committee holding an urgent meeting later.
Another right-wing former prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, added his voice to the critics, telling BFM TV station that he would not vote for Mr Fillon.
Mr Sarkozy said the party’s current divisions are only adding to support for the far-right.
“Our divisions will pave the way for the far-right,” he said, adding this situation “can’t last and is creating deep unease among French people”.
In an interview with Le Monde newspaper, president Francois Hollande, an unpopular Socialist who decided not to run for a second term, also warned about the risk of Ms Le Pen winning the election.
Mr Hollande said: “The far-right has never been so high in more than 30 years. But France won’t cave in.”
Mr Fillon said last week he was summoned to appear before judges on March 15 for allegedly using taxpayers’ money to pay family members for jobs that may not have existed. He denies any wrongdoing and claims to be the victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by his rivals.
He initially said he would step down if charged, but backpedalled on his pledge after being summoned to face charges.
In her first interview since the scandal broke, Penelope Fillon, from Abergavenny, urged her husband to stay in the race.
“Unlike the others, I will not abandon him,” Penelope Fillon was quoted as saying in the Journal du dimanche newspaper.
“I told him to continue to the end.”