Courtesy of Mish.
Last week former president Nicolas Sarkozy was unexpectedly knocked out of the Republican primary.
Today French Voters Pick Centre-Right Presidential Candidate whose winner will likely face Marine le Pen in round two of the elections next year.
French voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a primary run-off contest predicted to give François Fillon the centre-right nomination and a good chance of becoming president of France next year.
Mr Fillon, the former prime minister who unexpectedly surged to pole position with 44 per cent of the votes in a first round last Sunday, is facing Alain Juppé, the longstanding favourite who has come second with 28 per cent.
Estimates suggested turnout is higher in today’s run-off than in the first round, with 2.93m casting their votes by 5pm, up from 2.81m at the same point last week.
Whoever wins the nomination for the centre-right will be well placed to win the 2017 presidential election. Surveys suggest that François Hollande, the deeply unpopular socialist president who is expected to declare his candidacy next month, would fail to qualify for the second round of the run-off in May. Mr Fillon would face Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Front leader, in the second round and be favourite to defeat her.
Voting Odds
On Wednesday, the betting odds on Bovada looked like this.
If, one believed that the race would come down to Fillon vs. Le Pen, there was a play to guarantee a win.
The largest bet Bovada would accept on any candidate was a measly $37.50, which I find absurd. Anyway, I booked the above bet. If Fillon is knocked out today I can still win if le Pen wins next year.
