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French election 2017: Who are the candidates? French election 2017: Who are the candidates?
(17 days later)
Dozens of candidates are vying for the attention of French voters ahead of the presidential election on 23 April 2017. Eleven candidates have joined the race for the French presidency, and the campaign is now into its final stages ahead of the election on 23 April.
If none wins an outright majority, there will be a run-off vote between the two leading candidates two weeks later on 7 May. There are three front-runners and as none are likely to secure an outright majority, a run-off between the two candidates is now expected on 7 May.
The campaign of centre-right Republicans candidate Francois Fillon has been overshadowed by the announcement that a judge is investigating persistent media claims of financial wrongdoing, centred on payments of public money made to his wife. For the first time in 15 years, the far-right National Front has a realistic chance of winning the race under Marine Le Pen. Centrist Emmanuel Macron is challenging her in the opinion polls after the centre-right Republican Francois Fillon was derailed by an investigation into misuse of public funds.
Mr Fillon, the early favourite, is now vying for the second spot in opinion polls with centrist Emmanuel Macron, whose campaign has been boosted by the decision not to stand of Francois Bayrou. For the first time in modern French history, the incumbent - Socialist President Francois Hollande - is not running for a second term because of poor poll ratings.
Several percentage points in the lead is Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front (FN). All you need to know about the French election
President Francois Hollande, a Socialist, is not seeking a second term. Polls suggest he is very unpopular.
Francois Fillon, The Republicans
Mr Fillon, 62, convincingly defeated controversy-dogged rivals Nicolas Sarkozy and Alain Juppe to become his party's candidate - but then promptly became embroiled in a scandal of his own.
His campaign has been rocked by the announcement that he would be summoned to appear before an investigating judge following claims in the media that his wife was paid for parliamentary work she did not carry out.
But Mr Fillon has refused to step aside for another candidate, complaining instead that he was the victim of a "political assassination" and alleging that the timing of the investigation was part of a plot to deny voters the opportunity to vote for a centre-right president.
Polls suggest that the controversy has not yet ruined his chances of victory.
Mr Fillon is campaigning on radical plans for economic belt-tightening include cutting half a million public sector jobs, scrapping the 35-hour work week and remove the wealth tax (ISF), prompting comparisons to the late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
He wants to strip jihadists returning from the wars in Iraq or Syria of their French nationality and require parents in receipt of social allowances to agree to a "parental responsibility contract", to tackle children's absenteeism or behaviour "disrespectful of the values of the [French] republic".
On foreign policy, Mr Fillon wants to engage with Russia by lifting EU sanctions and help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to defeat so-called Islamic State (IS).
Mr Fillon studied law and married his Welsh wife, Penelope Clarke, in 1980 in Llanover, near Abergavenny. They have five children and their home is a 12th-Century manor house near Le Mans in western France.
France's Francois Fillon under fire over women's rights
Francois Fillon mixes French sang-froid and radicalism
Benoit Hamon, Socialist Party
Former Education Minister Benoit Hamon been called the "French Bernie Sanders". The left-wing rebel shot to prominence after his decisive win in the first round of France's Socialist party primary, beating the favourite Manuel Valls.
With his designer stubble and cheeky grin, the 49-year-old has been grabbing more than his share of the limelight over the past few weeks.
The most left-leaning of the seven initial candidates in the Socialist race, his programme has been built around the radical proposal of a universal monthly payment for all French citizens, regardless of income. He also wants to legalise cannabis, to tax the wealth created by robots and to ditch the labour law passed last year that made it easier to hire and fire.
The income plan he has outlined would be put into effect in three stages.
Critics have pilloried the plan as unworkable, estimating its cost at between €300-€400bn.
Mr Hamon's partner is Gabrielle Guallar and the couple have two daughters.
Benoit Hamon to be Socialist candidate in French election
Marine Le Pen, National Front (FN)Marine Le Pen, National Front (FN)
Marine Le Pen has striven to detoxify the image of the National Front (FN) since taking over its leadership from her father in January 2011. The last time it was tested electorally - in regional elections in late 2015 - it came top in the first round. But it failed to win any region in the second round after the two main parties collaborated and voters used their ballots tactically to keep the party out. She took over the FN leadership from her father in January 2011 and came third in presidential elections the following year. She brought the party big electoral gains in regional elections in late 2015.
Despite that defeat, the party still gained hundreds of regional councillors across France, and Ms Le Pen used the result as a springboard for the presidential campaign. Polls now regularly place her second. Opinion polls suggest she is neck and neck with Emmanuel Macron but unlikely to defeat him in the second round in May.
The FN's proposals included slashing legal immigration from 200,000 to 10,000 entries per year, deporting illegal immigrants, prioritising French citizens for jobs and housing, holding a referendum on exiting the EU and euro, upping police numbers and powers, and creating 40,000 new prison places. The Marine Le Pen story
The youngest of Jean-Marie Le Pen's three daughters, she was steeped in politics from a young age. She trained as a lawyer and went on to become head of the FN's legal department. In 2010, before being elected leader, Marine Le Pen compared Muslims praying in the street to the German occupation. Now she has softened her tone and the FN has also tried to build bridges with the Jewish community.
After years of fighting and losing French parliamentary elections, she was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and remains an MEP, representing North-West France. Meanwhile other nationalist parties - in Germany, the Netherlands and elsewhere - have emerged, making the FN much less of a French exception.
After taking over leadership from her father in 2011, she distanced herself from him politically. She denounced him for suggesting that the Nazi gas chambers were "a detail of history". She came third in presidential polls in 2012. Hugh Schofield: Is France's National Front leader far-right?
Marine Le Pen, 48, trained as a lawyer and headed the FN's legal department. After years of fighting and losing French parliamentary elections, she was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and remains an MEP, representing North-West France.
Marine Le Pen is twice divorced with three children, and lives in the western suburbs of Paris.Marine Le Pen is twice divorced with three children, and lives in the western suburbs of Paris.
What makes Marine Le Pen far right? What she wants:
Le Pen rails against globalisation Emmanuel Macron, En Marche (On the Move)
Emmanuel Macron, En Marche (Onwards) At 39, he has a real chance of becoming France's youngest-ever president because polls suggest if he reaches the run-off on 7 May he would defeat Marine Le Pen.
A brilliant student who went on to become an investment banker, Emmanuel Macron worked as economic adviser to President Francois Hollande before taking up the post of economy minister in 2014. He has never been elected an MP - and has never even stood for election. He is not an MP and has never stood for election before but his political rise has been meteoric.
And at 38, he is among the youngest candidates. A brilliant student who went on to become an investment banker, Emmanuel Macron worked as economic adviser to President Hollande before taking up the post of economy minister in 2014.
He forged a reputation with his "Macron Law", a controversial reform bill that allowed shops to open more often on Sundays and deregulated some sectors of industry. He forged a reputation with his "Macron Law", a controversial reform bill that allowed shops to open more often on Sundays and deregulated some sectors of industry. He championed digital start-ups and prompted a long-distance bus market.
The law was forced through by Prime Minister Manuel Valls despite strong left-wing opposition. But for much of France's business community Mr Macron became a breath of fresh air, with a list of pro-business policies aimed at boosting economic growth. He has championed digital start-ups and prompted a long-distance bus market. While a breath of fresh air for France's business community, his policies aroused opposition among the left of the governing Socialists.
For years a protege of President Hollande, his position in government became increasingly awkward in April 2016 when he set up En Marche, which he describes as "neither left nor right" and now counts almost 97,000 people as followers. He resigned on 30 August in order to launch his presidential bid. But when he set up En Marche as "neither left nor right" in April 2016, his position in the Socialist government became increasingly untenable and he resigned before launching a presidential bid.
Announcing his candidacy, Mr Macron described France as "blocked by corporatism" (large interest groups). "I want to free the energy of the able while protecting the weakest," he said. He is an economic liberal and pro-business, who has backed ending France's 35-hour week for younger workers, but is on the left on social issues. He has backed deregulation in certain French industries and greater checks on politicians' powers.
Mr Macron is married to his former French teacher Brigitte Trogneux, 20 years his senior, and has seven step-grandchildren.Mr Macron is married to his former French teacher Brigitte Trogneux, 20 years his senior, and has seven step-grandchildren.
What he wants:
Emmanuel Macron: France's ambitious man 'on the move'Emmanuel Macron: France's ambitious man 'on the move'
France's Macron joins presidential race to 'unblock France'France's Macron joins presidential race to 'unblock France'
Francois Fillon, The Republicans
When Mr Fillon, 62, won his centre-right party's nomination for the presidency he immediately became the favourite.
The two men he defeated, Nicolas Sarkozy and Alain Juppe, have over the years been dogged by controversy, but now Mr Fillon is too.
His campaign has been rocked by allegations that his wife and two children improperly received public funds. Initially he said he would step aside if he was placed under formal investigation but as it became clear that was on the cards he changed his mind.
He complained he was the victim of a "political assassination" and said the voices of "millions of votes have been muzzled".
He is behind the two favourites but not out of the running.
Mr Fillon studied law and married his Welsh wife, Penelope Clarke, in 1980 in Llanover, near Abergavenny. They have five children and their home is a 12th-Century manor house near Le Mans in western France.
What he wants:
Benoit Hamon, Socialist Party
Renowned as a left-wing rebel within the Socialist party, ex-education minister Benoit Hamon decisively won the race for the party nomination, defeating former Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
Known as the "French Bernie Sanders", Mr Hamon, 49, is struggling to make much headway in the presidential race, partly because of competition from far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon. He has also struggled to secure broad support across a divided Socialist party.
With his designer stubble and cheeky grin, he has some of the most eye-catching policies, from taxing the wealth created by robots to a universal monthly payment for French citizens. He has since had to revise his basic income plan, reducing its cost from €400bn to €35bn.
"The money party has too many candidates in this election," he told supporters. "One says 'Get rich!' and the other two say 'Make us rich!'", he complained, referring to Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen and Francois Fillon.
What he wants:
Mr Hamon's partner is Gabrielle Guallar and the couple have two daughters.
Benoit Hamon to be Socialist candidate in French election
Jean-Luc Melenchon, Parti de Gauche (Left Party)Jean-Luc Melenchon, Parti de Gauche (Left Party)
With the centre-left experiencing a meltdown in popular support, firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon senses a possible opening in the race. With the centre-left experiencing a meltdown in popular support, firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, 65, has sensed a possible opening in the race. He came fourth in the 2012 presidential vote, with 11% of the vote.
Last month, he received the backing of France's Communist Party for his candidacy, giving him extra organisational muscle and resources. His campaign launch was the most imaginative in the race, appearing as a hologram at a rally in Paris while addressing a crowd in Lyon some 500km (310 miles) away.
Mr Melenchon says the means of production, trade and consumption must be changed, and cites climate change as one of his concerns. Backed by France's Communist Party, he says the means of production, trade and consumption must be changed, and cites climate change as one of his concerns.
He said: "This is a tremendous opportunity to loose the bonds that paralyse us today."He said: "This is a tremendous opportunity to loose the bonds that paralyse us today."
The former supporter of European federalism now calls for France to leave European treaties, saying the EU's economic liberalism has sapped its ability to deliver democratic change. A former supporter of European federalism, he now calls for France to leave European treaties, saying the EU's economic liberalism has sapped its ability to deliver democratic change.
He left the Socialist Party in November 2008 to found the Left Party with French deputy Marc Dolez. He joined the Left Front electoral federation and got elected to the European Parliament in 2009, where he still serves. He left the Socialist Party in November 2008 to found the Left Party with French deputy Marc Dolez. He joined the Left Front electoral federation and was elected to the European Parliament in 2009, where he still serves.
Mr Melenchon made an unsuccessful bid for the French presidency in 2012. He received 11% of the votes, putting him in fourth place. What he wants:
Jean-Luc Melenchon announces 2017 France presidency bidJean-Luc Melenchon announces 2017 France presidency bid
All candidates need to be approved by the Constitutional Council. Who are the other candidates?
Six other candidates gathered the required 500 signatures of elected officials across France to stand in the 2017 presidential vote.
Nathalie Arthaud, Lutte Ouvriere (Workers' Struggle), 46, Trotsykist: seeks to prohibit redundancies and job cuts, increase of salaries and pensions to €1,800, impose worker control on enterprises and ownership of means of production.
Francois Asselineau, Union Populaire Républicaine (Popular Republic Union), 59, Nationalist and anti-US: seeks withdrawal of France from the EU, euro and Nato, to renationalise big industries and private corporations.
Jacques Cheminade, 75, Ex-civil servant in economy ministry seeks to ditch the EU and abandon the euro. A follower of US conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, 55, Debout La France (Stand Up France) Gaullist: wants to leave the euro and scrap the EU, higher ethical standards for elected officials, put the fight against jihadist terrorism at the centre of foreign policy.
Jean Lassalle, 61, centrist, independent MP who wants to renegotiate European treaties; staged a 39-day hunger strike in 2006 in a bid to save 140 jobs at a factory and walked 5,000km across France in 2013.
Philippe Poutou, 50, New Anti-Capitalist Party Former Ford car worker wants to lower retirement age to 60, reducing the working week to 32 hours and make abortion and contraception free and accessible.