Three quarters of French voters want Fillon to withdraw from race: pollMarch 17, 2017 - 14:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Three quarters of French voters want conservative candidate Francois Fillon to pull out of the presidential race, an opinion poll by Odoxa showed on Friday, March 17, underscoring how badly his image has been hit by a series of financial scandals, Reuters reports. The former prime minister was placed under formal investigation on suspicion of misusing public funds after allegations surfaced that he paid his wife and children hundreds of thousands of euros of taxpayers money for fake jobs. The fraud investigation has been widened to include luxury suits he received as gifts, a judicial source said on Thursday. Once a frontrunner in the French presidential election, 63-year-old Fillon has steadily lost ground since January to his main rivals, far-right leader Marine Le Pen and independent centrist Emmanuel Macron. Polls project that he will be eliminated in the first round of voting on April 23. The poll showed nearly nine voters out of every 10 think Fillon is not honest, and about three quarters of them say he is neither "convincing" nor "close to their concerns." The poll conducted for France Info radio was carried out online on Wednesday and Thursday among 1,006 people. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. |