Supporters of France's ex-Prime Minister Francois Fillon are demanding a recount after he lost the leadership battle for the conservative opposition, BBC News reported.

They say Mr Fillon is the rightful winner of the election to succeed Nicolas Sarkozy as UMP party leader.

Only a handful of votes separated Mr Fillon from the victorious candidate Jean-Francois Cope. Both candidates initially claimed victory and accused their rival of fraud and ballot-stuffing.