French presidential candidate Francois Fillon faced mounting pressure from his own conservative camp to withdraw from the race on Saturday, as a senator from The Republicans party warned it could split if he refused to bow out.
Senator Bruno Gilles, head of the party's influential Bouches-du-Rhone region, said in a radio interview that party faithful had "turned the page" and overwhelmingly wanted a change of candidate.
Fillon, 62, has been embroiled in a deepening scandal since satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaine reported he had paid his wife hundreds of thousands of euros of public money for work she may not have done.
He has steadfastly maintained that his wife Penelope had contributed real work as his assistant, but the allegations to the contrary and the sums involved have rocked his campaign.
The former front-runner is now set to place third behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen and independent Emmanuel Macron in the election's first round on April 23, according to the latest major poll of voting intentions.
"This scandal is doing us more damage every day, and we can't wait another two weeks," Gilles told France Bleu Provence radio. "There are presidential and legislative elections at stake and, beyond that, the survival of our political party."
The senator added: "This could go as far as a party split."
According to a new opinion poll for the Journal du Dimanche, the proportion of French voters who believe Fillon to be "honest" has plummeted to 23 percent from 50 percent last November. Pollster Ifop surveyed 1,007 people from Feb. 3-4.
But Fillon, a former prime minister, has vowed to fight on, defying public calls from a growing number of Republican lawmakers and officials for him to step aside.
On Saturday his campaign distributed 3 million leaflets entitled "Stop the Manhunt", characterising the scandal as a left-wing conspiracy and declaring: "Enough is enough".
Reuters
Sun Feb 05 2017
Fillon, 62, has been embroiled in a deepening scandal since satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaine reported he had paid his wife hundreds of thousands of euros of public money for work she may not have done. - REUTERS / File
AWANI Ringkas: Mangsa di PPS terus meningkat
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Nilai pasaran bintang JDT, Arif Aiman bakal melonjak
Dua gol jaringan Arif Aiman dalam aksi ACLE 2024/25 menentang Shanghai Port membuktikan kemampuan dimiliki pemain berusia 22 tahun itu di pentas Asia.
#AWANIRingkas 21 September 2024 | 9 AM
Berikut merupakan rangkuman berita setakat 9 pagi 21 September 2024
1️⃣ Perkembangan banjir di Kedah
2️⃣ SZB catat peningkatan trafik
3️⃣ Unga Ke-79
#awaniringkas
1️⃣ Perkembangan banjir di Kedah
2️⃣ SZB catat peningkatan trafik
3️⃣ Unga Ke-79
#awaniringkas
AWANI Pagi: Kepentingan industri pelancongan kepada Wilayah Persekutuan
AWANI Pagi 7.30 pagi akan bersama Datuk Noridah Abdul Rahim, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Wilayah Persekutuan, akan mengulas berhubung senario industri pelancongan di Wilayah Persekutuan serta strategi yang dilaksanakan dalam meningkatkan industri pelancongan di kawasan itu.
Perkembangan banjir di Kedah
Jumlah mangsa banjir yang ditempatkan di pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) di Kedah terus meningkat setakat 6 pagi tadi.
Manakala jumlah mangsa banjir di Pulau Pinang, Perlis dan Selangor menunjukkan penurunan berbanding malam tadi.
Manakala jumlah mangsa banjir di Pulau Pinang, Perlis dan Selangor menunjukkan penurunan berbanding malam tadi.
PGA rampas rokok seludup bernilai lebih RM200,000 di Tumpat
Pasukan Gerakan Am Briged Tenggara menumpaskan sindiket penyeludupan rokok dan merampas 200,000 batang rokok bernilai RM264,000 dalam dua operasi berasingan di Tumpat, semalam.
Pemangku Presiden Muda, Amira Aisya selamat diijabkabulkan
Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz selamat diijabkabulkan dengan pasangannya, Luqman Long pada pagi Jumaat.
UNGA 79: Konflik di Palestin, isu kemanusiaan di Myanmar antara fokus kenyataan Malaysia
Menteri Luar Mohamad Hasan akan menegaskan komitmen Malaysia terhadap multilateralisme, keamanan dan kerjasama antarabangsa di tengah cabaran global.
Terenggganu keluar fatwa GISB sesat jika ada bukti jelas - Mufti
Terengganu hanya akan mengeluarkan fatwa mengenai kepercayaan dan ajaran dalam GISB sebagai sesat sekiranya terdapat bukti jelas.
Dua penduduk Gaza cedera dalam serangan udara rejim Zionis
Dua penduduk Gaza menjadi mangsa kekejaman Zionis apabila cedera dalam satu serangan udara di kawasan kejiranan Zeitoun, Gaza.
Dalam satu hantaran di X pada Jumaat, Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah Palestin (PRCS) memaklumkan mangsa bagaimanapun berjaya dibawa keluar dari lokasi serangan.
Dalam satu hantaran di X pada Jumaat, Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah Palestin (PRCS) memaklumkan mangsa bagaimanapun berjaya dibawa keluar dari lokasi serangan.