Majority of French conservatives still back François Fillon after jobs scandal

Telegraph - Amajority of French conservatives want François Fillon to stay in the presidential race despite his continuing “fake work” scandal, but two-thirds of voters would prefer him to quit, a poll indicated on Sunday.

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تاریخ: ۰۲ اسفند ۱۳۹۵ - ۰۹:۵۳

Telegraph - Amajority of French conservatives want François Fillon to stay in the presidential race despite his continuing "fake work” scandal, but two-thirds of voters would prefer him to quit, a poll indicated on Sunday.

A defiant Mr Fillon addressed supporters in a Facebook video after the survey suggested that 70 per cent of conservative voters backed him.

"I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Mr Fillon said, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. "Thanks to all of you, militants for France, who did not want to let the presidential election be stolen from you.”

Mr Fillon has blamed the media and what he says are biased members of the judiciary for an investigation into allegations that he claimed more than €900,000 (£770,000) of taxpayers’ money for fake jobs for his British wife, Penelope, and two of his children.

Marine Le Pen, the Front National leader, has taken to calling him "fake Fillon” and says she is pleased that he is one of her main opponents, arguing that his message has been drowned out and voters no longer believe him.

The scandal cost Mr Fillon a comfortable lead in the polls, but he has regained some ground in recent days. He is now neck-and-neck with the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron, whose controversial remarks on France’s colonial rule and opponents of gay marriage have dented his ratings.

Mr Fillon thanked supporters around France and among the hundreds of thousands of French residents of London. It is an important constituency, and Mr Macron is to visit the capital on Tuesday. A former banker, he is hoping for support from the many French people working in the City.