- Title: France's Sarkozy bows out after comeback cut abruptly short
- Date: 20th November 2016
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 20, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** DEFEATED CANDIDATE IN FRENCH CONSERVATIVES' PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY, NICOLAS SARKOZY, LEAVING CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS SARKOZY'S WIFE, CARLA BRUNI-SARKOZY, ARRIVING AT HIS CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS EARLIER IN THE NIGHT CONSERVATIVE "LES REPUBLICAINS" PARTY MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, MARC-PHILIPPE DAUBRESSE, LEAVING (SOUNDBITE) (French) CONSERVATIVE "LES REPUBLICAINS" PARTY MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, MARC-PHILIPPE DAUBRESSE, SAYING: "I think he (Sarkozy) was right to say that in light of the indisputable result for Francois Fillon, we all need to come together and win this presidential election because the danger is the far-right, we mustn't forget that. (JOURNALIST ASKING: "COME TOGETHER WITH FRANCOIS FILLON?") With Francois Fillon, of course. It's not the same economic policy which we recommended with Nicolas Sarkozy but on 80 percent of the manifesto we're in agreement." DAUBRESSE LEAVING
- Embargoed: 5th December 2016 22:52
- Keywords: Sarkozy Carla Bruni-Sarkozy conservative election primary France presidency Republicains
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0015991NWN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy left his campaign headquarters with his re-election hopes in tatters on Sunday (November 20) after a crushing defeat in the conservatives' primary to select their candidate for the presidency.
With almost all the votes counted, Sarkozy trailed his former ministers Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe by 23 and 8 points respectively, and both men will now progress to a run-off on November 27.
Sarkozy earlier said he would support Fillon in the second round, and indicated that he may retire from public life after already vowing to do so after his 2012 election defeat to Francois Hollande.
Supporter Marc-Philippe Daubresse was among those to say that the right now needed to get behind Fillon and face down the threat from a resurgent National Front.
"I think he (Sarkozy) was right to say that in light of the indisputable result for Francois Fillon, we all need to come together and win this presidential election because the danger is the far-right, we mustn't forget that," he said.
Opinion polls show the National Front's eurosceptic, anti-immigration leader Marine Le Pen is likely to make it to the second round of next spring's presidential election, but be defeated by the mainstream conservative candidate. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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