French voters went to the polls over the weekend to vote in the first round of the presidential primaries. Former Prime Minister François Fillon emerged as the frontrunner in a surprise result for the center-right Républicains. He'll face runner-up Alain Juppé in the second round of voting on 27 November and is expected to win the party's nomination after receiving a commanding 44 percent of the vote in the first round.
Mujtaba Rahman, Eurasia Group Managing Director for Europe, says that Fillon is likely to face far-right Front National leader Marine Le Pen in France's May 2017 presidential contest.
