PARIS -- Francois Fillon won France's first-ever conservative presidential primary Sunday after promising drastic free-market changes and a crackdown on immigration and Islamic extremism, beating a more moderate rival who had warned of encroaching populism. He is the least popular French president since the second world war, with his satisfaction rating in one recent poll as low as 4%. Polls suggest the 62-year-old Fillon, prime minister from 2007-12 under former President Nicolas Sarkozy, would have a good chance of winning the French presidency in the April-May election. In a sober victory speech, Fillon promised to defend "French values" and said France needs "a complete change of software." He said France had a huge need for respect, pride and, overall, authority. Alain Juppe concedes defeat

In Paris, 71-year-old Mr Juppe congratulated Mr Fillon on the "large victory", adding: "I finish this campaign as I began it - as a free man who did not compromise what he is or what he thinks". 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. On the basis of results from about 88 percent of polling stations, organizers of the center-right Republicans party primary said Fillon led with 67 percent of the vote compared with 33 percent for Juppe. Fillon will campaign against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is running an anti-establishment campaign that particularly targets immigrants, France's large Muslim minority group, 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 Hollande's extreme unpopularity. Fillon wins French presidential primary

Mr Fillon, whose wife Penelope Clarke is British, was the prime minister from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was eliminated in the primary's first round a week ago and now is supporting him. 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. Fillon wants to drop sanctions against Russia over its aggressive actions in Ukraine and partner with Russia in the fight against Islamic State extremists. In response, Mr Fillon has proposed spending cuts, increasing sales tax, scrapping a tax on the wealthy, fewer restrictions on the working week and raising the retirement age to 65. 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 that they "share the republican values of the right and the center."
François Fillon wins in a landslide with two-thirds of the vote (90% counted). Alain Juppé subsequently concedes defeat and says he will support Fillon for President.