French conservative Juppe says not to stand for presidential election

French moderate conservative Alain Juppe on Monday confirmed he would not stand for the upcoming presidential election, ending speculation over his late presidential bid to replace scandal-hit contender Francois Fillon.

"I am not in a position today to carry out the necessary gathering around a unifying project. That's why I confirm once again and for all that I will not be a candidate," Juppe told a press conference in Bordeaux.

"I don't embody the renewal... For me, it is too late, but it is obviously not too late for France," he added.

Denouncing a political "muddle," the ex-foreign minister noted that Fillon's "defense system based on the denunciation of a so-called conspiracy and a political assassination led him to a stalemate."

In the wake of the fake job scandal which clouded the conservative contender's outlook, the Republicans party's senior chiefs had called on Juppe to represent the right-center party in the due election.

Pollsters said in a scenario where the veteran former top diplomat would run for president, he would make it into the run-off on May 7.

So far, Fillon, once the front-runner, has refused to step down despite calls to do so from several senior members of the party, and even polls show him losing ground in favor of centrist independent candidate Emmanuel Macron who set to win confidence of disillusioned centrist and even right voters.

Fillon has been under fire since French satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine reported on Jan. 25 that he had paid his wife and two of his five children about one million euros (1.06 million U.S. dollars) for their jobs as parliamentary assistants. However, there was no evidence showing that Fillon's wife had really worked.

"No one has the power to force me to withdraw... It is not the party that will decide. It's not regional presidents or former primary candidates who will make the decision for me," Fillon told France 2 television on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the conservative contender, whose campaign has been out of track, said he was working on "initiatives to bring my (political) family together," after a series of defections further hit his campaign 50 days ahead of the presidential election.

Denouncing a plot against his presidential bid, Fillon said he believes he "is always supported by a majority of the right and center," after 200,000 people, according to his camp, flocked to the Trocadero square Sunday afternoon to show their support.

Earlier Monday, ex-head of state Nicolas Sarkozy called on Fillon and Juppe to meet in a bid to seek for a "dignified and credible way out from a situation which cannot last any longer and which is the source of deep concerns among French people."

Later in the day, the Republicans party's political committee, including the primary candidates, will meet to hammer out an alternative to end the party's disarray as election is closer.

source: Xinhua