Embattled French presidential candidate Francois Fillon suffered a new setback Friday as his spokesman quit, while veteran conservative Alain Juppe stood ready to replace him in the race. Spokesman Thierry Solere posted on Twitter that he was leaving Fillon's campaign, the latest sign that the candidate's support is crumbling over an expenses scandal.
Pressure has been building on Fillon since the former prime minister, who turns 63 on Saturday, revealed this week that he will be charged later this month over allegations he paid his wife Penelope hundreds of thousands of euros for fake parliamentary jobs.
The 71-year-old Juppe, also an ex-premier and a one-time foreign minister, was beaten by Fillon in the conservative primary in November after beginning the contest as a clear favourite.
Juppe has kept a low profile since. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has taken the lead in opinion polls and centrist Emmanuel Macron has also benefited from Fillon's woes.
With the March 17 deadline for the collection of signatures necessary to launch a candidacy fast approaching ahead of the first round of the election on April 23, a member of Juppe's entourage told AFP that the veteran was prepared to take over.
Juppe "will not refuse if all the conditions are met - Francois Fillon has to take the decision to pull out himself and the rightwing and centre camps... have to be united behind him", the unnamed source said. One opinion poll Friday showed that were Juppe to step into the presidential race he would go straight into the lead.
Juppe would have 26.5 percent of votes, giving him a narrow lead over Macron on 25 percent, while Le Pen would slip to third place on 24 percent, according to the Odoxa-Dentsu Consulting poll of 943 people.
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