Sarkozy Concedes Defeat in Republican Primaries
00:32 21.11.2016(updated 00:44 21.11.2016)
Nicolas Sarkozy conceded his defeat after coming third in The Republicans primaries on Sunday.
PARIS (Sputnik) – Former French president and candidate for center-right presidential nomination Nicolas Sarkozy conceded his defeat after coming third in The Republicans primaries on Sunday.
"I congratulate Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe on advancing to the second round. They are very worthy people who the French center-right should be proud of," Sarkozy said in a statement.
The newest results of Sunday's primaries show Francois Fillon in the lead with 44 percent of votes, followed by Alain Juppe with 28.1 percent. Sarkozy came third with 21.1 percent of votes. A total of 3.2 million cast their ballots.
Sarkozy said both contenders for the nomination deserved respect but said he endorsed Fillon, who served as prime minister in his administration in 2007-2012.
"Francois Fillon's political standing is closer to me … Therefore I will vote for him in the second round of primaries," he said.
Next week's runoff will pit the top two contenders for the party's nomination. The winner will face far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential election in spring 2017.
© Sputnik
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