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Rift Grows in French Party Over Close Leadership Vote Rift Grows in French Party Over Close Leadership Vote
(about 1 hour later)
PARIS — The confusion and embarrassment surrounding France’s main opposition party, the center-right Union for a Popular Movement, continued to grow Wednesday after former Prime Minister François Fillon, who was declared a narrow loser in a leadership election on Monday night, claimed that he had actually won the race.PARIS — The confusion and embarrassment surrounding France’s main opposition party, the center-right Union for a Popular Movement, continued to grow Wednesday after former Prime Minister François Fillon, who was declared a narrow loser in a leadership election on Monday night, claimed that he had actually won the race.
Rather than losing by 98 votes out of the more than 176,000 ballots cast, Mr. Fillon said he actually won by 26 votes, if 1,304 apparently overlooked ballots from three overseas territories were counted. Rather than losing by 98 votes out of the more than 176,000 ballots cast, Mr. Fillon said, he won by 26 votes, if 1,304 apparently overlooked ballots from three overseas territories were counted.
After two major electoral defeats — President Nicolas Sarkozy’s failed bid for re-election in May and the loss of control of the national legislature in June — the party is bitterly divided over its direction. Jean-François Copé, 48, who was declared the winner of the leadership contest, wants to move the party further to the right to counter the rising popularity of the National Front and its leader, Marine Le Pen, while Mr. Fillon, 58, wants to move the party back toward its Gaullist roots and more centrist positions.After two major electoral defeats — President Nicolas Sarkozy’s failed bid for re-election in May and the loss of control of the national legislature in June — the party is bitterly divided over its direction. Jean-François Copé, 48, who was declared the winner of the leadership contest, wants to move the party further to the right to counter the rising popularity of the National Front and its leader, Marine Le Pen, while Mr. Fillon, 58, wants to move the party back toward its Gaullist roots and more centrist positions.
Mr. Fillon’s challenge to the outcome of the leadership balloting kept the pot boiling for the party, which was embarrassed when both candidates claimed victory on television on Sunday night and their supporters attacked one another on France’s leading political talk shows. There was new talk that the party could split in two, which would benefit the governing Socialists.Mr. Fillon’s challenge to the outcome of the leadership balloting kept the pot boiling for the party, which was embarrassed when both candidates claimed victory on television on Sunday night and their supporters attacked one another on France’s leading political talk shows. There was new talk that the party could split in two, which would benefit the governing Socialists.
A Fillon supporter, Éric Ciotti, said that the leader of the internal commission charged with counting the votes — Patrice Gélard, a senator and an expert in Soviet law — “had recognized the error during a telephone conversation” with Mr. Fillon on Wednesday morning. But Mr. Gélard said that he could not reverse the count, and that all complaints would have to be made to an appeals commission.A Fillon supporter, Éric Ciotti, said that the leader of the internal commission charged with counting the votes — Patrice Gélard, a senator and an expert in Soviet law — “had recognized the error during a telephone conversation” with Mr. Fillon on Wednesday morning. But Mr. Gélard said that he could not reverse the count, and that all complaints would have to be made to an appeals commission.
Mr. Copé reacted with annoyance to Mr. Fillon’s claim, saying that it made no sense, that he opposed a recount, and that he urged Mr. Fillon and his allies “to take the hand I hold out to them.”Mr. Copé reacted with annoyance to Mr. Fillon’s claim, saying that it made no sense, that he opposed a recount, and that he urged Mr. Fillon and his allies “to take the hand I hold out to them.”
“The time has come to build together, rather than to create tensions over issues that have no substance,” he added.“The time has come to build together, rather than to create tensions over issues that have no substance,” he added.
Mr. Copé, who has said he thinks that Fillon allies stuffed ballots around Nice, in southern France, said with exasperation on Wednesday that he was ready to take all complaints to the party’s appeals commission, if necessary, and that it would “look more closely at the results in Nice.”Mr. Copé, who has said he thinks that Fillon allies stuffed ballots around Nice, in southern France, said with exasperation on Wednesday that he was ready to take all complaints to the party’s appeals commission, if necessary, and that it would “look more closely at the results in Nice.”
Mr. Fillon called on a party figure from the wing of former President Jacques Chirac — Alain Juppé, another former prime minister and a co-founder of the party — to run the party temporarily. Mr. Juppé has begged both sides to stop the squabbling, but one Copé supporter, Thierry Mariani, reacted to the call for Mr. Juppé to step in by saying, “Alain Juppé is not the Good Lord.”Mr. Fillon called on a party figure from the wing of former President Jacques Chirac — Alain Juppé, another former prime minister and a co-founder of the party — to run the party temporarily. Mr. Juppé has begged both sides to stop the squabbling, but one Copé supporter, Thierry Mariani, reacted to the call for Mr. Juppé to step in by saying, “Alain Juppé is not the Good Lord.”
Mr. Fillon, who was favored to win the election and clearly feels that it has been stolen from him, said in a statement that the party’s “credibility and unity are threatened,” adding, “I do not want our movement to be torn apart by the suspicions that now hang over this election.”Mr. Fillon, who was favored to win the election and clearly feels that it has been stolen from him, said in a statement that the party’s “credibility and unity are threatened,” adding, “I do not want our movement to be torn apart by the suspicions that now hang over this election.”