French conservatives reject Sarkozy’s reelection bid

French conservatives voted overwhelmingly on Sunday not to put former President Nicolas Sarkozy back in office. Sarkozy finished third in the conservative presidential primary, paving the way for former Prime Minister Francois Fillon to become the nominee. Fillon will face off with another former prime minister, Alain Juppe, in a runoff election next weekend. Fillon won 44 percent of the vote, and Juppe tailed him by 15 percentage points in the first round. Polls predict Fillon will beat Juppe with 56 percent of the vote in the runoff. Fillon campaigned on a platform of free-market reforms, including scrapping the 35-hour working week and raising the retirement age. He’s also known to be an admirer of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Whomever wins the conservative primary is expected to face a strong challenge from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is anti-immigration and skeptical of the European Union. Current President Francois Hollande, who leads the Socialist Party and is deeply unpopular, has not said yet whether he plans to run for reelection.