(CNN) He's been called the "French Thatcher" for his apparent admiration of Britain's "Iron Lady" and willingness to tackle the unions.

Now Francois Fillon is also the frontrunner for the Republican party's presidential nomination, having beaten a field of seven on Monday -- including his former boss and president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Fillon served as Sarkozy's prime minister between 2007 and 2012.

But any chance of a political comeback by Sarkozy came to an abrupt end after Fillon secured 44% of the center-right party's first-round vote, pushing Sarkozy into third place.

Fillon will now compete against another former prime minister, Alain Juppe, in a second-round vote for the party's nomination on November 27.

The 62 year old lawyer-turned-politician grew up in a strict Catholic household in Sarthe, western France, to a notary father and history teacher mother.

At the age of 27 Fillon was elected mayor of Sable, and worked his way up the political ladder to become Sarkozy's mild mannered prime minster in 2007.

"Sarkozy was such a big personality that I think a lot of people don't really know who Fillon is," said Aurelien Mondon, senior lecturer in French politics at Bath University.

"Indeed one thing that could work against Fillon is his lack of charisma."

What does he stand for?

In a nutshell: Fillon aims to end the 35-hour work week, cut public spending, abolish the wealth tax, reduce immigration and invest 12 billion euros in security, defense and justice.

Warmer on Russia: "Fillon wants to renew links with Russia and has been praising Russian politicians lately," said Mondon, adding: "It could put him in the same category as the populist right that is on the rise across Europe."

Critical of same-sex marriage: In 2013 Fillon voted against same-sex marriage, which came into law under President François Hollande.

"Fillon comes from the Catholic conservative side and is supported by radical Catholic organizations -- particularly the ones who organized anti-gay marriage demonstrations three years ago," explained Mondon.

Why he could be France's next president

"Until recently we thought it would be Juppe or Sarkozy against Marine Le Pen in the presidential election," said Mondon.

"Le Pen would have done a lot better against Juppe, who could have been seen to be too moderate, and Sarkozy, who could have been seen as a hypocrite for not doing enough as president in 2007.

"Fillon has the credentials that neither of the other Republicans do with the radical right -- so that will make it a lot more difficult for Le Pen to compete against."</s>PARIS | Francois Fillon won France’s first-ever conservative presidential primary Sunday after promising drastic free-market reforms and a crackdown on immigration and Islamic extremism, beating a more moderate rival who had warned of encroaching populism.

“President! President!” chanted the former prime minister’s supporters as he declared victory over Alain Juppe in a nationwide runoff election.

Polls suggest the sober, authoritative Fillon, 62, would have a strong chance of winning the French presidency in the April-May election, amid widespread frustration with France’s current Socialist leadership.

Fillon, who was prime minister from 2007-2012 under ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, enjoyed a surprise surge in popularity in recent weeks. A rise in nationalist sentiment across Europe may have favored his strict conservative positions over Juppe’s more centrist stance.

France needs “a complete change of software,” Fillon said, promising in his victory speech to defend “French values.”

Among his promises: slash public spending, cap immigration, support traditional family values and reach out to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Juppe, 71, congratulated Fillon on his “wide victory.” During the primary campaign, he expressed similar ideas as his rival on the French economy, but tried to rally conservatives around a more tolerant attitude toward France’s ethnic, religious and social diversity.

With results from 96 percent of voting stations, organizers of the Republicans party primary said Fillon had 66.5 percent of votes and Juppe 33.5 percent. More than 4 million of France’s 44 million voters took part, which was considered a good turnout given that it was the conservatives’ first experiment with a primary.

Fillon’s toughest challenge ahead is likely to be far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Le Pen, candidate of her National Front party, is running an anti-establishment campaign that particularly targets immigrants, France’s Muslim minority, and the European Union.

Socialist President Francois Hollande is expected to announce in the coming weeks whether he will seek re-election, but the French left has been deeply weakened by his extreme unpopularity. A wild card is outsider candidate Emmanuel Macron, Hollande’s former economy minister, who is leading a centrist campaign.

Fillon walked a careful line Sunday, stressing the need for “authority of the state” but also insisting, “No one should feel excluded from a society that I want to see more just and with more solidarity.”

If elected next year, he pledges to hold a referendum on a quota system for immigrants to reduce legal immigration “to a minimum,” and to push for stronger controls at Europe’s borders.

In a country still rattled by a string of deadly Islamic State group attacks, Fillon wants to prohibit French jihadists from returning home. He recently published a book called “Conquering Islamic Totalitarianism.”

A practicing Catholic with a British wife of 36 years and five children, Fillon pledges to weaken adoption rights for same-sex couples. Yet he has said he wouldn’t scrap a 2013 law allowing same-sex marriage.

His most dramatic proposals concern France’s long-stagnant economy, beset by chronic 10 percent unemployment.

He wants to cut taxes on businesses, slash public spending by 110 billion euros ($116 billion) and reduce the number of public servants. He would also raise the retirement age from 62 to 65, extend the workweek beyond 35 hours, and ease France’s strict labor rules in order to boost job hiring.

Soccer agent Cherif Diallo said it was Fillon’s economic program that won his vote.

“In life, you must sacrifice in order to obtain good results. The program of Francois Fillon is radical as his adversaries say, but it’s a necessity in order to get the country in order,” Diallo said.

While he’s seen as lacking charisma, Fillon’s supporters like him because they regard him as experienced and well-qualified for France’s top job.

Besides serving as prime minister, he’s been a cabinet minister six times and spent years as a lawmaker representing his hometown of Le Mans in western France, home to the famed 24 of Le Mans auto race.

Both Fillon and Juppe, who campaigned on similar economic platforms, are high-profile leaders of the Republicans party who knocked Sarkozy — their former boss — out of the primary’s first round of voting a week ago. Sarkozy then threw his weight behind Fillon.

Sunday’s runoff came after a bruising and highly adversarial end phase to the months-long primary contest, an American-style effort to end party infighting and bolster support for the party’s nominee. The conservatives previously chose their candidate internally.

Fillon has said he wants to drop sanctions against Russia over its aggressive actions in Ukraine and partner with Russia in the fight against Islamic State extremists. Fillon insists “Russia poses no threat” to the West.

All French citizens over 18 — whether they are members of the Republicans party or not — were eligible to vote in the primary, if they paid 2 euros in fees and signed a pledge stating they “share the republican values of the right and the center.”

Thomas Adamson and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris contributed to this report.</s>PARIS: Francois Fillon, a conservative reformist promising to shrink the French state, on Sunday clinched the rightwing nomination for next year’s presidential election with a resounding victory over his rival Alain Juppe.

Ex-prime minister Fillon, 62, will now become a favorite to be France’s next leader after winning the US-style primary to pick the nominee of the Republicans party and its allies.

Near-complete results showed him winning 66.5 percent of the vote, with ballots counted from 9,915 polling stations out of 10,229.

In a victory speech, the amateur rally driver said he had “torn up all the pre-written scripts” as he sped past his rivals in the last weeks of the campaign.

“France can no longer bear its decline. France wants the truth and France wants action,” he told cheering supporters after Juppe, a centrist, conceded defeat.

The French presidential vote is seen as a key test for mainstream political parties after the success of Donald Trump and the Brexit campaign in Britain, both of which harnessed anti-elite anger.

Fillon will face fierce competition in the two-round election in April and May from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, the anti-establishment candidate hoping to emulate Trump’s shock victory in the US.

Fillon said a win for the anti-European Union Le Pen would spell “bankruptcy.”

Two surveys late Sunday put Fillon ahead of Le Pen in the first round of the election, with the left-wing candidates trailing further behind.

Promising to be the candidate of “all those who in their hearts are proud to be French,” he pledged to turn the page on a “pathetic” Socialist presidency.

Turnout in the primary stood at around four million, roughly the same as in the first round of voting a week ago when Fillon came from behind to lead a field of seven candidates.

The prime minister from 2007-12 has warned that France is “on the verge of revolt” and believes his plan to slash 500,000 public sector jobs and increase working hours is the tonic needed to kickstart the economy.

The devout Catholic has also taken a hard line on immigration and Islam in France, telling newcomers to the country last week that “when you enter someone else’s house you do not take over.”

‘Brutal’ candidate?

 Voting in northwest Paris, Christophe Mordelet, a 45-year-old human resources manager, said he chose Fillon because he showed “more authority” than Juppe, who campaigned as a moderate unifier.

“You have to bang your fist on the table to get reforms through in this country. We have to stop giving into the power of the street,” he said.

Juppe made a failed pitch for the center-ground, saying his opponent’s agenda was too “brutal” and he was better placed to keep the far-right out of power.

Conceding defeat and ending his career-long dream of becoming president, the 71-year-old wished Fillon “good luck” in his bid to take back the Elysee Palace from the ruling Socialists.

During the campaign, Juppe had hit out at his opponent as a “yes man” for Russian President Vladimir Putin and also questioned his views on abortion.

Fillon wants closer ties with the Kremlin and has called for the European Union to lift its sanctions on Moscow imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

Unpredictable race

 The Republicans candidate is widely tipped by pollsters to face Le Pen — and beat her — in a second round run-off in May next year.

But the race is seen as highly unpredictable after a year of political upsets and uncertainty about the impact of independents and the Socialist party candidate.

Socialist President Francois Hollande has yet to announce whether he will try to defy his historically low approval ratings by running for a second term.

Valls has not ruled out challenging his boss in a left-wing primary set for January, telling the weekly Journal du Dimanche he wanted to dispel the idea “that the left has no chance” of retaining power.

Hollande’s former protege and economy minister, 38-year-old Emmanuel Macron, is also set to stand for the presidency as a centrist independent.

On Sunday, he accused Fillon of having a retrograde vision of French society and appealed to “progressives of the left, right and center” to join his camp.

Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is also likely to draw votes away from mainstream parties in a trend seen in elections across Europe following years of austerity and anger over globalization and job losses.

Jean-Yves Camus, an associate researcher at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations, said Fillon might have to soften his program and tack toward the centerground.

“He might have to shift a bit to be more of a unifier and be less divisive,” Camus told Agence France-Presse.</s>The status quo isn’t just being disrupted in the US. In France, the victory of François Fillon in the centre-Right party’s primaries has brought within reach of the presidency a man who promises “completely to change the software” of France. Specifically he wants to cut taxes on businesses, slash public spending by €110 billion and reduce the number of public servants by half a million. He would also raise the retirement age from 62 to 65, extend the working week beyond 35 hours and ease France’s strict labour rules in order to boost employment.

This is a pragmatic, overdue programme of reform. The point well made by M. Fillon during the TV debates was that France’s restrictive laws on hiring and firing militate against employment. Britain is at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to employee protection, with a more casual working culture, but the French system is worse. Cuts to the overblown public sector make sense. So does scrapping the 35-hour working week, which has been vexatious for businesses such as restaurants. As friends of France, we should welcome a presidential candidate who would rejuvenate its economy, even if this means London is given a run for its money when it comes to competing with Paris for overseas investment.

A primary to choose the centre-Right candidate is new, but is a useful indication of how the actual presidential campaign next year will go. It now seems quite likely that M. Fillon could take on the Front National’s Marine le Pen and win. M. Fillon dismissed his opponent Alain Juppé’s invocation of multiculturalism and diversity, instead insisting that immigrants must adopt the values of the French state. He also wishes to restrict immigration and put the family at the heart of social policy. In short, he not only constitutes a radical change from the policies of President Hollande, but could take votes from the Front National by giving expression to legitimate concerns about Islamic extremism in France. Also, he has a Welsh wife. He knows Britain and that’s a good thing.

Next week could see the Southern rail dispute reach a new pitch, with drivers set to join guards in a three-day walkout. Until now it has been RMT-led conductors who have opposed the introduction of driver-operated train doors. The decision by Aslef, the drivers’ union, to ballot its members over a stoppage appears to stem not from hostility to the changes in principle, but because of a perceived failure by Southern bosses to seek Aslef’s agreement before pressing ahead. This sounds like a poor excuse for the disruption which will ensue.

If industrial action by both sets of workers goes ahead Southern services will come more or less to a standstill. What makes the situation worse is that the RMT has also announced 24-hour strikes by workers on the Piccadilly and Hammersmith & City lines: these are unrelated disputes but the action has been timed to coincide with the Southern stoppages. For many, travelling into and around London next week will be a thoroughly miserable experience. This is a test for the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who pledged in his manifesto to reduce the number of days lost to industrial action on the Tube. How tough will he be?

The new eBay store on Regent Street will have four clear booths with biometric sensors and facial-recognition technology to register shoppers’ emotional reactions to images of various products. Thus they will identify the products which shoppers desire most. Surely the ultimate form of window shopping?</s>Francois Fillon smiles after delivering a speech after the conservative presidential primary on Sunday, in Paris. | Photo Credit: Kamil Zihnioglu

Francois Fillon won France’s first-ever conservative presidential primary on Sunday after promising drastic free-market reforms and a crackdown on immigration and Islamic extremism, beating a more moderate rival who had warned of encroaching populism.

“President! President!” chanted the former prime minister’s supporters as he declared victory over Alain Juppe in a nationwide runoff election.

Polls suggest the 62-year-old Fillon, prime minister from 2007—2012 under ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, would have a good chance of winning the French presidency in the April—May election.

Mr. Fillon campaigned on promises of slashing public spending, capping immigration, support for traditional family values and friendlier ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Fillon enjoyed a surprise surge in popularity in recent weeks over longtime front-runner Mr. Juppe, who also previously served as the country’s prime minister.

In a sober victory speech, Mr. Fillon promised to defend “French values” and said France needs “a complete change of software.”

“There is in our country an immense need for respect and pride. There is also a call for the authority of the state, and exemplary behavior by those who lead it,” he said.

Mr. Fillon, whom Mr. Juppe had accused of running a divisive campaign that catered to the far right, struck a slightly more inclusive tone Sunday night.

“No one should feel excluded from a society that I want to see more just and with more solidarity,” he said.

Mr. Juppe (71), congratulated Mr. Fillon on his “wide victory.” During the primary campaign, he expressed similar ideas as his rival on the French economy, but tried to rally conservatives around a more tolerant attitude toward France’s ethnic, religious and social diversity.

Based on results from about 88 percent of polling stations, organizers of the center-right Republicans party primary said Mr. Fillon led with 67 per cent of the vote compared to 33 per cent for Mr. Juppe.

Mr. Fillon’s toughest challenge ahead is likely to be far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Ms. Le Pen is running an anti-establishment campaign that particularly targets immigrants, France’s large Muslim minority, and the European Union.

Socialist President Francois Hollande is expected to announce in the coming weeks whether he will seek re-election, but the French left has been deeply weakened by Mr. Hollande’s extreme unpopularity.

Both Mr. Fillon and Mr. Juppe are high-profile leaders of the Republicans party who knocked their former boss former President Nicolas Sarkozy out of the primary’s first round of voting a week ago. Sarkozy then threw his weight behind Mr. Fillon.

Sunday’s runoff came after a bruising and highly adversarial end phase to the months-long primary contest, an American-style effort to end party infighting and bolster support for the party’s nominee. The conservatives previously chose their candidate internally.

Mr. Fillon, a conservative Catholic who opposed France’s law legalizing same-sex marriages, said he plans to reduce immigration to France “to a minimum” positioning himself firmly to Mr. Juppe’s right.

Mr. Fillon wants to drop sanctions against Russia over its aggressive actions in Ukraine and partner with Russia in the fight against Islamic State extremists. Mr. Fillon insists “Russia poses no threat” to the West, while Mr. Juppe wants France to continue putting pressure on Mr. Putin on various fronts.

They both pledged to cut public spending, reduce the number of civil servants, raise the retirement age from 62 to 65, end the 35-hour work week and cut business taxes.

All French citizens over 18 whether they are members of the Republicans party or not were eligible to vote in the primary, if they paid 2 euros in fees and signed a pledge stating they “share the republican values of the right and the center.”</s>(CNN) He's been called the "French Thatcher" for his apparent admiration of Britain's "Iron Lady" and willingness to tackle the unions.

Now Francois Fillon is also the frontrunner for the Republican party's presidential nomination, having beaten a field of seven on Monday -- including his former boss and president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Fillon served as Sarkozy's prime minister between 2007 and 2012.

But any chance of a political comeback by Sarkozy came to an abrupt end after Fillon secured 44% of the center-right party's first-round vote, pushing Sarkozy into third place.

Fillon will now compete against another former prime minister, Alain Juppe, in a second-round vote for the party's nomination on November 27.

The 62 year old lawyer-turned-politician grew up in a strict Catholic household in Sarthe, western France, to a notary father and history teacher mother.

At the age of 27 Fillon was elected mayor of Sable, and worked his way up the political ladder to become Sarkozy's mild mannered prime minster in 2007.

"Sarkozy was such a big personality that I think a lot of people don't really know who Fillon is," said Aurelien Mondon, senior lecturer in French politics at Bath University.

"Indeed one thing that could work against Fillon is his lack of charisma."

What does he stand for?

In a nutshell: Fillon aims to end the 35-hour work week, cut public spending, abolish the wealth tax, reduce immigration and invest 12 billion euros in security, defense and justice.

Warmer on Russia: "Fillon wants to renew links with Russia and has been praising Russian politicians lately," said Mondon, adding: "It could put him in the same category as the populist right that is on the rise across Europe."

Critical of same-sex marriage: In 2013 Fillon voted against same-sex marriage, which came into law under President François Hollande.

"Fillon comes from the Catholic conservative side and is supported by radical Catholic organizations -- particularly the ones who organized anti-gay marriage demonstrations three years ago," explained Mondon.

Why he could be France's next president

"Until recently we thought it would be Juppe or Sarkozy against Marine Le Pen in the presidential election," said Mondon.

"Le Pen would have done a lot better against Juppe, who could have been seen to be too moderate, and Sarkozy, who could have been seen as a hypocrite for not doing enough as president in 2007.

"Fillon has the credentials that neither of the other Republicans do with the radical right -- so that will make it a lot more difficult for Le Pen to compete against."</s>Former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has beaten Alain Juppé to win The Republicans primary nomination for the presidency.

Fillon, a conservative Catholic strongly opposed to same-sex marriage, positioned himself firmly to Alain Juppé's right.

Both Fillon, 62 and Juppé, 71, knocked their former boss, former President Nicolas Sarkozy, out of primary's first round. Mr Sarkozy then threw his support behind Fillon, who served as his Prime Minister from 2007 to 2012.

Juppé served as French foreign minister and defence minister under Mr Sarkozy and Prime Minister from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac.

The two opponents disagreed on the best approach towards Russia with Fillon calling for greater ties with the Kremlin and working alongside President Putin in the fight with Isis.

Fillon insists "Russia poses no threat" to the West, while Juppe wants France to continue putting pressure on Putin on various fronts.

Both candidates promised similar free-market reforms while Juppé accused Fillon of plying a populist anti-Muslim, anti-immigration message.

They both pledged to cut public spending, reduce the number of civil servants, raise the retirement age from 62 to 65, end the 35-hour work week and cut business taxes.

Juppé tried to encourage conservatives to support a more tolerant approach toward France's ethnic, religious and social diversity.

Current polls suggest Fillon will stand a good chance of winning the Presidency in the April-May election - but will face a tough challenge in the form of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Front National (FN).

In the first round of primary voting on Nov. 20, Fillon won 44.1 percent of the votes, Juppe 28.6 percent and Sarkozy 20.7. A second round was needed because no candidate secured a majority.

All French citizens over 18 — whether they are members of the Republicans party or not — were eligible to vote in the primary, if they paid 2 euros in fees and signed a pledge stating they "share the republican values of the right and the center."</s>François Fillon, the socially conservative former prime minister who plans to shrink the French state, has won the primary race to become the French right’s presidential candidate next spring.

Fillon, 62, gained support in the final days of the primary race after writing a book on the dangers of “Islamic totalitarianism” in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in France and defending a tough line on French national identity. He beat the more moderate centrist, Alain Juppé, the 71-year-old mayor of Bordeaux.

With 95% of ballots counted, Fillon had garnered 66.5% of the votes while Juppé trailed with 33.2%.

Who is François Fillon – the man who ended Sarkozy's dream? Read more

France’s two-round presidential elections in April and May are being watched as the next possible shakeup of the political system, after Donald Trump won the US presidency this month.

Polls in France have consistently shown that the far-right Front National leader, Marine Le Pen, will make it to the final round runoff but that it would be difficult for her to win. Fillon is now the favourite to face her and win the presidency next year.

In his victory speech, Fillon said the Socialist François Hollande’s presidency had been “pathetic”. France “wanted action” and had to be overhauled in a way that it “hasn’t been for 30 years”. He said France had a huge need for respect, pride and, overall, authority.

After a campaign in which he defended French national identity, he said people had voted for him because he represented “French values”. He said “I will defend those values and we will share them with everyone who, with their differences, loves France.”

On the campaign trail, Fillon, who will stand for the Republican party, argued: “France is more rightwing than it has ever been,” and that he was the only one able to tap into that mood and win France’s “ideological battle”.



He warned that France was “on the verge of revolt” and said his plan to slash half a million public sector jobs, reduce the welfare state, cut taxes for the rich and loosen business regulations was the only possible response for a demoralised country struggling with mass unemployment, a sluggish economy and a major terrorist threat.

“I’ll do everything for entrepreneurs!” he declared at his final rally in Paris, promising to free up business and create jobs to tackle a stubbornly high unemployment rate of about 10%.

Juppé, after losing what was a battle for the soul of the French right, described himself as a “free man” who had never compromised on his beliefs. He congratulated Fillon and asked his own supporters to work for “calm and reconciliation” in France.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest François Fillon casts his ballot in Paris. Photograph: Eric Feferberg/EPA

Fillon, a career politician for 35 years and a symbol of the traditionalist provincial right, is a fan of Margaret Thatcher. But his economic programme – though radical in terms of breaking with the statist traditions of the French right – falls far short of Thatcher’s.

He does not intend to privatise state companies and France’s traditionally high public spending will remain significant. Fillon served as prime minister from 2007-2012 under the unpopular president Nicolas Sarkozy, playing a key role in an administration that promised economic reform but failed to deliver.

Yet he has successfully convinced the rightwing electorate that he represents radical change.

Fillon is a Catholic traditionalist who deliberately appealed to the conservatism of the religious right and wants to increase state benefits for families.

He complained about being attacked as a “medieval reactionary” during the campaign because, having voted against France’s recent introduction of same-sex marriage, he promised to roll back certain parental rights for same-sex couples. He said it was his private belief that abortion was not a fundamental right but promised not to change French abortion law.

How François Fillon became the French right's new hope Read more

Fillon, who is on first-name terms with Vladimir Putin after they served as prime ministers in the same period, has advocated a stridently pro-Putin policy towards Russia. He said Russia was no threat, should be a partner in Syria and that European sanctions against Russia should be lifted. He said the fight against Islamic State meant France should not rule out cooperating with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

Fillon has taken a hard line on Islamic extremism as well as the place of Islam in France, warning that “radical islam is corrupting some of our Muslim fellow citizens”. Over the summer, he said he was in favour of banning burkinis, or full-body swimsuits, from French beaches.

“No, France is not a multicultural nation,” Fillon said during the final TV debate, adding that foreigners who came to France must assimilate. He said: “When you come to someone’s house, by courtesy, you don’t take over.”

Sarkozy came third in the right’s first round vote last week, leaving the field open to Fillon and Juppé.

The spotlight will now fall on the governing French Socialist party, which is yet to choose its presidential candidate and which will hold its own primary race in January.

The bitterly divided party has been galvinised by Fillon’s nomination, hoping to unite voters against a “French Thatcher”, saying he threatens France’s cherished social model, the wide-ranging social safety net of generous unemployment benefits, pensions and healthcare.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Alain Juppé votes at a polling station in Bordeaux. Photograph: Romain Perrocheau/Getty Images

Hollande is expected to announce within days whether he will stand for re-election. His party is in disarray and there are serious doubts among Socialists about Hollande’s chances of even making it past the first round. He is the least popular French president since the second world war, with his satisfaction rating in one recent poll as low as 4%.

Divisions were evident when the prime minister, Manuel Valls, on Sunday left his options open as a potential challenger to Hollande. Valls told the French weekly Journal du Dimanche that he wanted to dispel the idea that the left had no chance of retaining power.

Emmanuel Macron, Hollande’s rebellious former economy minister, has also launched an independent, centrist, outsider bid for the French presidency, promising to lead a people’s “democratic revolution” against the “vacuous” political system.

The hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who this weekend won the backing of the French Communist party, is also likely to draw votes away from the Socialists.</s>PARIS: Francois Fillon, a conservative reformist promising to shrink the French state, on Sunday clinched the rightwing nomination for next year’s presidential election with a resounding victory over his rival Alain Juppe.

Ex-prime minister Fillon, 62, will now become a favourite to be France’s next leader after winning the US-style primary to pick the nominee of the Republicans party and its allies.

Near-complete results showed him winning 66.5 percent of the vote, with ballots counted from 9,915 polling stations out of 10,229.

In a victory speech, the amateur rally driver said he had “torn up all the pre-written scripts” as he sped past his rivals in the last weeks of the campaign.

“France can no longer bear its decline. France wants the truth and France wants action,” he told cheering supporters after Juppe, a centrist, conceded defeat.

The French presidential vote is seen as a key test for mainstream political parties after the success of Donald Trump and the Brexit campaign in Britain, both of which harnessed anti-elite anger.

Fillon will face fierce competition in the two-round election in April and May from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, the anti-establishment candidate hoping to emulate Trump’s shock victory in the US.

Fillon said a win for the anti-EU Le Pen would spell “bankruptcy”.

Two surveys late Sunday put Fillon ahead of Le Pen in the first round of the election, with the left-wing candidates trailing further behind.

Promising to be the candidate of “all those who in their hearts are proud to be French,” he pledged to turn the page on a “pathetic” Socialist presidency.

Turnout in the primary stood at around four million, roughly the same as in the first round of voting a week ago when Fillon came from behind to lead a field of seven candidates.

The prime minister from 2007-12 has warned that France is “on the verge of revolt” and believes his plan to slash 500,000 public sector jobs and increase working hours is the tonic needed to kickstart the economy.

The devout Catholic has also taken a hard line on immigration and Islam in France, telling newcomers to the country last week that “when you enter someone else’s house you do not take over.”

Voting in northwest Paris, Christophe Mordelet, a 45-year-old human resources manager, said he chose Fillon because he showed “more authority” than Juppe, who campaigned as a moderate unifier.

“You have to bang your fist on the table to get reforms through in this country. We have to stop giving into the power of the street,” he said.

Juppe made a failed pitch for the centre-ground, saying his opponent’s agenda was too “brutal” and he was better placed to keep the far-right out of power.

Conceding defeat and ending his career-long dream of becoming president, the 71-year-old wished Fillon “good luck” in his bid to take back the Elysee Palace from the ruling Socialists.

During the campaign, Juppe had hit out at his opponent as a “yes man” for Russian President Vladimir Putin and also questioned his views on abortion.

Fillon wants closer ties with the Kremlin and has called for the European Union to lift its sanctions on Moscow imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

The Republicans candidate is widely tipped by pollsters to face Le Pen — and beat her — in a second round run-off in May next year.

But the race is seen as highly unpredictable after a year of political upsets and uncertainty about the impact of independents and the Socialist party candidate.

Socialist President Francois Hollande has yet to announce whether he will try to defy his historically low approval ratings by running for a second term.

Valls has not ruled out challenging his boss in a left-wing primary set for January, telling the weekly Journal du Dimanche he wanted to dispel the idea “that the left has no chance” of retaining power.

Hollande’s former protege and economy minister, 38-year-old Emmanuel Macron, is also set to stand for the presidency as a centrist independent.

On Sunday, he accused Fillon of having a retrograde vision of French society and appealed to “progressives of the left, right and centre” to join his camp.

Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon is also likely to draw votes away from mainstream parties in a trend seen in elections across Europe following years of austerity and anger over globalisation and job losses.

Jean-Yves Camus, an associate researcher at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations, said Fillon might have to soften his programme and tack towards the centreground.

“He might have to shift a bit to be more of a unifier and be less divisive,” Camus told Agence France-Presse. AFP</s>Fillon, a former prime minister who wants to raise the retirement age, cut back social security and scrap the 35-hour working week, would easily beat National Front leader Marine Le Pen in a run-off second round, a flash opinion poll said right after his primaries victory.

But to do that, the 62-year old former prime minister and admirer of late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher now faces the challenge of bringing voters behind a program that promises radical change.

"I must now convince the whole country our project is the only one that can lift us up, for jobs, growth and to fight those fanatics that declared war on us," a visibly moved Fillon said at his campaign headquarters.

"I will take up an unusual challenge for France: tell the truth and completely change its software," said Fillon, a racing car enthusiast who lives in a Loire valley chateau.

With votes from nearly all of 10,229 polling stations counted, Fillon had won 66.5 percent of the votes in the primaries organized by the center-right Les Republicains party.

Next year's presidentials in the euro zone's second-largest economy are shaping up to be another test of the strength of anti-establishment parties in Western countries, with French voters angry with stubbornly high unemployment and fearful after a wave of Islamist militant Attacks.

In a country that saw months of street protests earlier this year against labor reforms that are much milder than those Fillon proposes, his far-reaching plans give both the ruling Socialists and Le Pen's National Front (FN) some hope that they can make a comeback.

Up until a couple of weeks ago they expected the center-right candidate to be Alain Juppe, a more moderate proposition who had been a favorite in polls for months.

"For us, he's a great candidate (to face in the election)," the National Front's Florian Philippot told Reuters. "His project is so sharply different from ours."

Under the leadership of Le Pen, who took over from her father Jean-Marie in 2011, the FN has switched from an economically liberal, pro-small business party to one that promises to lower the retirement age and guarantee France's generous welfare safety net.

Fillon plans to slash public spending by 100 billion euros over five years, scrap a tax on the wealthy and push the retirement age to 65 as well as increase VAT sales tax.

"It's a program of chaos. It's impossible that this austerity cure does not trigger chaos," Philippot said.

All eyes now turn to whether the deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande will decide to run for the left-wing ticket in his party's primaries in January, amid signs that his prime minister, Manuel Valls, is considering a bid of his own.

Close aides of Hollande have said he will run despite his deep unpopularity. Fillon lacks the broad appeal of the more centrist Juppe and his more radical economic reform plans could give Hollande a peg on which to base his candidacy.

But on Sunday, Hollande's prime minister Manuel Valls for the first time raised the prospect he could challenge Hollande as the Socialists' candidate in the 2017 presidential election, in a further sign of the left's divisions.

Neither of them would get more than 9 percent of the votes in the first round of the presidential election and neither would qualify for the run-off, the Harris Interactive flash poll on Sunday showed.

Both Hollande's former economy minister Emmanuel Macron and leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, would do much better, the poll showed. Both on Sunday reaffirmed that they would run in the presidentials and bypass the Socialist party's primaries - guaranteeing a split vote on the left.

Fillon's misgivings about gay marriage, and belief that immigrants should assimilate to French cultural values, could make him a more difficult opponent on social issues for the FN, and an easier target for the left.

Fillon has also raised eyebrows in Germany by espousing warmer ties with Russia than Hollande has pursued.

Leading center-right politicians, including the losers in the primaries, said unity after Sunday's vote was key to winning the presidency for Les Republicains.

Juppe said he would support Fillon's campaign and former president Nicolas Sarkozy also called for unity.

"The moment has now arrived for our political family to rally together around Francois Fillon in order to guarantee that France gets the alternative to the current policies that it needs more than ever before in 2017," Sarkozy said in a statement. (Additional reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Simon Carraud, Sophie Louet; Writing by Andrew Callus and Ingrid Melander; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
A second-round runoff takes place in France between François Fillon and Alain Juppé to decide who will be the Republican presidential candidate in next year's presidential election.