France's scandal-hit Fillon seeks to breathe life into campaign

Under pressure over his wife's fictitious job, French presidential frontrunner Francois Fillon Sunday expressed his determination to face the "demolition" campaign, saying that it was intended to undermine his presidential bid.

Arriving with his wife, Penelope, Fillon was greeted by veteran right party officials and a cheering and flag-waving crowd which chanted "Fillon President."

The conservative contender, whose campaign is losing momentum, drew 15,000 supporters at a Sunday rally. A large gathering is likely to reinforce his image as the frontrunner in the race for the Elysee Palace and defy speculations over risks of losing the majority a few moths before the presidential election kicks off.

"They tried to sink us, they tried to shoot us down, but here you are!" Fillon told the crowd.

"Through Penelope, they try to break me. I'm not afraid of anything, I've got a thick skin," he said.

Earlier this week, the satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine reported that his wife Penelope Fillon had been paid 600,000 euros (642,600 U.S. dollars) for her job as a parliamentary assistant to her husband and for work at a cultural journal.

However, there was no evidence she had really worked, the report added.

Rejecting allegations, Fillon said "since the beginning, Penelope has been at my side discreetly and with dedication. We have nothing to hide."

According to media reports, Fillon's lawyer on Thursday presented evidence to financial prosecutors after they had opened a preliminary inquiry into the possible "misuse of public funds" and "misappropriation of assets," relating to Penelope's fictitious job.

Under French law, it's legal for lawmakers to hire family members as their assistants but it's illegal to pay them for a fictitious job.

The 62-year-old former prime minister had secured a landslide victory in the right-wing primary over Alain Juppe by projecting himself as an honest and morally irreproachable contender. However, the scandal over his wife's fictitious job may lessen his chances for a victory.

An Odoxa survey for France Info Radio showed on Friday the conservative contender had a 38-percent approval rating, down 16 percentage points from a month earlier, with more than two thirds of respondents saying he is not honest.

In order to inject dynamism into his campaign, at the Paris rally Fillon fended off criticism of his previous harsh spending cut and controversial proposal to privatize public health insurance.

He pledged to raise pensions below 1,000 euros (1,700 dollars) a month by 300 euros (321 dollars) and cut the payroll tax.

The latest opinion surveys showed Fillon well placed to unseat Francois Hollande, the current occupant of the Elysee Palace.

The conservative candidate would be likely to face and win over the far-rightist Marine Le Pen and would possibly meet independent centrist Emmanuel Macron in a May run-off.

source: Xinhua