François Fillon wins sweeping victory to become conservative candidate in French presidential election

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12.00 a.m.: So as our coverage of the conservative primary election comes to an end, here is a summary of the latest votes so far. With votes from 9,977 out of 10,228 polling stations now counted, the winner François Fillon has 66.5% of the votes cast, with Alain Juppé picking up 33.5%. The votes counted so far total 4.28 million. It is an overwhelming victory for former prime minister François Fillon ahead of next spring's presidential election. All eyes will now turn to the socialist primary election in January, with the key questions being whether President François Hollande will stand for re-election – his decision is due any day – and whether even if he does, his own prime minister Manuel Valls will stand against him.

11.45 p.m.: A little curiosity; given François Fillon's espousal of economically liberal reforms, one might have expected him to poll well among French voters living in North America. However, the North American constituency was one of the few to favour Alain Juppé in Sunday's vote, albeit by the narrow margin of 52.6% to 47.4%. Doubtless many of those French voters are in the somewhat less economically liberal Canada, the country where Juppé also went in “exile” after his 2004 conviction on corruption charges.

11.35 p.m.: Talking of whom...Marine Le Pen has just popped up on Europe 1 to rehearse her lines of attack against François Fillon in the presidential battle ahead. “It's the worst programme of social fracturing that's ever existed,” the president of the Front National declared of Fillon's plans for workplace and pension reforms and public sector job cuts. “Never has a candidate gone so far in submitting to the ultra-liberal demands of the European Union,” she said. “I look at Fillon's term of office [editor's note, as prime minister from 2007-2012]. And I see that during five years he opened Salafist mosques and closed businesses.”

11.20 p.m.: One of the key questions during the Right's primary was about which candidate would be best-placed to beat the far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen in the second round of next year's presidential election; most pundits reckon that with the French Left in disarray, a right/centre head-to-head with the far right is the most likely scenario in that election. Well, an opinion poll tonight suggests that François Fillon is well-placed to do just that. According to Harris Interactive's poll of 6,093 people, the former prime minister would top the first round of the presidential election on 26%, two points ahead of Marine Le Pen. He would, says the pollster, then beat her in the run-off 67% to 33% - virtually the same score by which he has just won the primary. Interestingly, the same survey suggests that both the former Hollande minister, Emmanuel Macron, and left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon would beat François Hollande in the first round of next year's election, with 14%, 13% and 9% of the vote respectively. Of course, this supposes that President Hollande does decide to stand – his decision is expected any day – and that even if he does, that he wins the socialist primary in January. That is not a given.

11.05 p.m.: The jockeying for positions on the Right has begun. The president of the Paris region Valérie Pécresse, a long-time supporter of Fillon, had surprised many and dismayed some in the Fillon camp when she gave her backing to Juppé as the latter still headed the polls. Tonight she was a notable absentee at Juppé's headquarters and Tweeted (see below): “And now, next stop 2017!” On her Facebook page she also wrote: “François Fillon will be the candidate who will defend our colours and who will carry our hopes for a change in power during the next presidential elections.” Many had considered her a likely prime minister under Fillon – before she switched sides – and then Juppé's likely choice for the role if he had won. Now, having been accused by some of having “betrayed” Fillon, Pécresse's future in a national role looks less certain.

10.50 p.m.: The French Left has been reacting to Fillon's victory. “By massively backing François Fillon in its primary the Right will be represented by one of the most anti-social rights figures at the next presidential election,” the ruling Socialist Party said in a statement. “During his time at [the prime minister''s office] Matignon, Nicolas Sarkozy's former prime minister had already succeeded in combining political inequalities with an explosion in our country's public debt.” It added: “In 2017 François Fillon's ultra-liberal programme will double up as a profoundly archaic and conservative vision of our society. So the Right's plan is for France to go backwards. And for rights on the cheap.”

On France 2 television former minister Arnaud Montebourg, a contender for the socialist primary election in January, said Fillon's win made the case for a more left-wing candidacy to confront him. “Against a strongly liberal candidate such as François Fillon, it's impossible for us to have a social-liberal candidate,” he argued. “We need to have a candidate who is at the heart of the Left.”

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, from the radical Left who is standing under the ticket 'la France insoumise' ('France Unbowed') at the presidential election with the backing of French communists, dismissed suggestions that the Right was now setting the agenda for next year's contest. “Most French people are waiting for public services that work … this is just the Right's primary, it's not the real election,” he told France 2.

10.25 p.m.: Earlier we mentioned that Fillon and Juppé would publicly shake hands to show there were “no hard feelings” and that the Right will now pull together as one behind the winner. Well, that handshake has now taken place -let's see just how warm it was.

Hmmm. Maybe a few fences still to be mended?

10.12 p.m.: It's perhaps academic now but with results now declared in 9,633 out of a total of 10,228 polling stations, François Fillon has received 66/7% of the vote, with Alain Juppé on 33.3%. That means Fillon has picked up support from almost exactly two-thirds of the four million-plus voters who turned out, while Juppé has scored just five percentage points better than his score last week. By any measure it is a massive margin and for Juppé it will be a stunning disappointment after being the pollsters' and bookies' favourite for so long in the primary contest.

10.01 p.m.: Here's a reminder of some of the economic policies that France can expect if Fillon does now become president next May: France's 'Iron Man': economic plans of François Fillon.

9.11 p.m.: François Fillon gives his victory speech and starts by thanking Alain Juppé who “is and remains a statesman”.

Fillon spoke of how he, the underdog from the beginning of the race in the primary, had felt support for him growing in the country. “I have progressively felt this wave that has shattered all the scenarios written in advance. People understood my approach. France cannot bear this stumbling, it wants the truth and is waiting for action. This presidency that is coming to an end has been pathetic. It's going to have to be brought to a close and we will have to move forward like we haven't done for 30 years,” Fillon told supporters.

The former prime minister also made clear that he wants to appeal to a wide cross-section of the political Right and of French citizens. “I have won and it is a fundamental victory based on convictions. Tonight I hold out a hand towards all those who want to serve our country. I will need everyone,” he declared. But Fillon also insisted that the Right and centre was France's only hope, saying the Left had “failed” and that the far-right was politically “bankrupt”.

Fillon continued: “There is in our country an immense need for respect and pride. There's also a demand for exemplary behaviour by the state. The future awaits us. We have in our hands all the qualities to be a sovereign nation at the head of Europe. I now have the duty to convince a whole country.” The former premier added: “I want to take up with our fellow citizens an immense challenge, that of the truth and of a complete change of programme. If in 2017 we take things firmly in hand then our country will go far, for nothing can get in the way of a people who want to take their future in their hands.”

9.02 p.m.: In a short speech Alain Juppé told his supporters: “I would like to thank those French men and French women who have today given me their vote. I congratulate François Fillon on his large victory. I wish him good luck for his presidential campaign and victory next May.” The vanquished former prime minister and former foreign minister – who for many months had been the clear favourite to win the primary - said he would now devote himself “fully” to his tasks as mayor of Bordeaux.

9.01 p.m.: Alain Juppé concedes defeat.

8.59p.m.: Nicolas Sarkozy – remember him? - is among the first to congratulate François Fillon on the latter's win, even if all the results are not yet in. “Good luck for the political battle ahead,” Tweeted the former president to his ex-prime minister (whom he once dismissed as a “nobody”). Sarkozy, who was eliminated in last week's first round of the primary, also spoke of his “friendly thoughts” towards the defeated Alain Juppé whom he said had “defended his ideas with conviction throughout the campaign”. Sarkozy said the time had now come for the Right and centre to “come together” ahead of the presidential election next spring.

8.54 p.m.: With the contest already in the bag for François Fillon, time for another cartoon from Mediapart’s collaboration with artistic commentators battrelacompagne. This one, signed by Aurel, pokes fun at Fillon's somewhat lugubrious demeanour. The heading is “Fillon victorious”, while the winner himself manages a half-hearted “Yippee” and “Sparkling water!”.

8.40 p.m.: The next batch of results confirm it: François Fillon is clearly heading for victory. With the votes at 4,156 of 10,228 polling stations already counted, Fillon has 68.6%. His rival Alain Juppé is trailing far behind on 31.4%. There is still some way to go but the result is no longer in doubt: François Fillon will be the conservative candidate in next spring's presidential election.

8.25 p.m.: And here they are the first results are in – and it looks like a landslide for François Fillon. The former prime minister has received 69.5% of the votes cast in the first 2,121 polling centres where the counting is completed. Alain Juppé trails on 30.5%, barely 2% higher than he managed overall last week in the first round. A word of caution; these are results from largely smaller, rural voting areas where Fillon's vote is stronger. But last week these same results were a good indication of the way the final vote went. And it seems that Fillon looks set to be the presidential candidate for the Right and centre in 2017.

8.20 p.m.: The word is that whatever the result – and a Fillon victory seems by far the most likely – François Fillon and Alain Juppé will meet at the Paris headquarters of the organisation running the primary, the Haute Autorité de la Primaire at around 10 p.m. for a photo op handshake to symbolise post-primary reconciliation.

7.35 p.m.: Before the results start coming in there's time for a cartoon from Mediapart’s collaboration with artistic commentators battrelacompagne. This one, signed by Soulcié, refers to the growing number of candidates on the Left ahead of next year's presidential election. Headlined “A large turnout” the first person asks if this is the queue to vote in the Right's primary. “No, it's the queue to be a candidate in the Left's,” comes the reply.

7.13 p.m.: The polling centres have now closed. A poll by Elabe for BFM TV, suggests that 64 % of the people who voted today were of the Right or political centre, 15% were from the Left – very similar figures to last week – while 12% expressed no political preference. Just 9% said they were supporters of the far-right Front National. The first results are due in around 8.30 p.m. local time.

5.25 p.m.: Many observers were surprised at the turnout last week, with around 4.3 million people voting. The early indications are that a similar number may have voted today too. By midday some 1.2 million people had voted in 64% of the polling centres – up by more than 10% on last week. By 5 p.m. local time the figure was 2.9 million voters, still a rise of 4.5% on last Sunday. Both candidates, Alain Juppé and François Fillon, voted in the morning.

Just like last week's first-round, voting in this run-off round is open to anyone who is on France's electoral roll, pays a two-euro fee and signs a declaration backing the values of the Right and centre. The country's 10,228 polling centres opened at 8 a.m. local time, though some people in French overseas voters and the 58,472 registered French voters abroad voted on Saturday. The polling booths were due to close at 7 p.m.

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Reporting by Michael Streeter