Leading French Republicans Reaffirm Support of Fillon as Presidential Candidate

PARIS (Sputnik) — The members of the political committee of France's center-right The Republicans party on Monday unanimously expressed support of their candidate, former prime minister Francois Fillon, in the upcoming presidential elections.

"Francois Fillon has confirmed his plans to run for president, and the political committee, after a broad exchange of opinions, unanimously reaffirmed its support of his candidacy," Chairman of the French Senate Gerard Larche said following the committee's meeting.

Fillon's participation in election was questioned due to the ongoing scandal involving his wife and children.

The financial prosecutors opened an inquiry into Fillon's wife case on January 25 after the satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine reported that she had been paid up to $8,500 per month when she worked as her husband’s assistant between 1998 and 2012 and received a $5,400 gross monthly salary at the magazine, owned by Fillon's friend. According to the magazine, Charles and Marie Fillon, who worked as their father’s assistants between 2005 and 2007, had earned about $90,700, though it was unclear whether they had really exercised their job responsibilities.

The Republicans' candidate has repeatedly denied all accusations and said he would not withdraw his candidacy. The scandal, though, had a significant impact of Fillon's public support and led to demands on his withdrawal from the presidential race.

According to the recent poll conducted jointly by the Ifop/Fiducial companies, Fillon’s voting intention figures decreased by 1 percent to 19 percent, extending his gap with the top candidates for entering the second election round, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and independent Emmanuel Macron, who are expected to gain 26.5 percent and 25.5 percent respectively.

The first round of the French presidential elections is scheduled for April 23, with the run-off set for May 7.