The French Republic is in its death throes, having been taken hostage by a maniac – François Fillon - who is riding roughshod over the legal system, insulting the press, scorning his own elected representatives and calling on divisive factions for help. Having destroyed political parties, corrupted Parliament and having undermined voting itself, the Fifth Republic is now reaching the climax of its democracy-destroying operation. It is time to get rid of it, writes Mediapart's editor-in-chief Edwy Plenel, before it is too late.
The cover story of this week’s edition of Paris-Match is a portrait of Penelope Fillon, the British wife of the French conservative presidential candidate François Fillon. The article was clearly an attempt by François Fillon’s public relations team to dampen the scandal which has dented his campaign after it was revealed he paid his wife and two of his children out of parliamentary funds for work it is alleged was never carried out. But, writes Mediapart poltical analyst Hubert Huertas, the portrait of the central but mute character in the affair has in fact simply served to increase the mystery surrounding Penelope Fillon and the unease over her image as her husband’s “mute muse”.
While support for the early favourite to win this spring's presidential election, conservative candidate François Fillon, has slumped over allegations of providing fake jobs for his family, a separate fake jobs scandal surrounding far-right frontrunner Marine Le Pen appears to have so far caused little damage to her campaign.
Conservative presidential candidate François Fillon's campaign has met with a further setback after the Paris prosecutor's office decided on Friday to hand its preliminary investigation into his suspected misuse of public funds by employing his wife and children as parliamentary aides, for work allegedly never carried out, to a powerful judicial investigation.
While mired in a scandal over allegations that he provided his family with fake jobs paid out of public funds, French conservative party presidential election candidate François Fillon has insisted he will not step down. Fillon, once the front runner in the race and now knocked off his perch and into the back line of contenders, has become a largely inaudible candidate, his public appearances compromised by regular protests, while his statements denying any wrongdoing have been notable by the frequent contradictions of his explanations. But he still believes in his chances of election. Mediapart political analyst Hubert Huertas argues here why he might well be right.
François Fillon, the conservative candidate in this spring's French presidential elections and the subject of a preliminary investigation by prosecutors into alleged fake jobs given to his family, said in a newspaper interview he will continue his campaign 'until victory', appearing to renege on his previous pledge to quit if ever the probe were to place him under formal investigation.
Conservative MP Thierry Solère, spokesman for his Les Républicains party's presidential candidate François Fillon - who himself is engulfed in a scandal over allegedly organising fake jobs for his family paid out of public funds - is under investigation for suspected income tax fraud, weekly Le Canard Enchaîné has disclosed, in a report expanding on Mediapart's initial revelations about the case last September.
