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France UMP vote: Francois Fillon supporters want recount France UMP vote: Francois Fillon demands recount
(about 2 hours later)
Supporters of France's ex-Prime Minister Francois Fillon are demanding a recount after he lost the battle to lead the conservative opposition. The defeated candidate in the bitter contest to lead France's conservative opposition has demanded a recount.
Only a handful of votes separated Mr Fillon from the winning candidate Jean-Francois Cope. Former Prime Minister Francois Fillon said votes from three overseas French territories, omitted from the original count, would change the result.
Mr Fillon's supporters say the vote did not take into account three overseas French territories - New Caledonia, Mayotte, and Wallis and Futuna. Mr Fillon, the campaign favourite, lost Sunday's UMP party leadership vote to Jean-Francois Cope by just 98 votes.
If they were included, Mr Fillon would be the rightful winner, they say. The election descended into chaos and rancour on Sunday night when both men had claimed victory.
Both men initially claimed victory and accused each other of ballot-stuffing. The announcement of the final result was delayed for more than 24 hours amid mutual accusations of ballot-stuffing.
The official result gave Mr Cope, an ally of ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, 50.03% of the vote; Mr Fillon polled 49.97%, losing by just 98 votes. Now, Mr Fillon says, on the basis of the extra votes from the overseas territories, he would win the contest by 26 votes.
The announcement of the final result was delayed for more than 24 hours. Mr Fillon, who stressed he would not challenge the results in the courts, also asked for Alain Juppe, the former foreign minister, to head the party as interim leader until its problems were resolved.
'Many irregularities' "I do not want our [party] to tear itself apart under the weight of suspicions that are now hanging over this vote," he said, insisting he was "simply demanding the truth".
Speaking after his rival's victory speech, Mr Fillon mentioned "many irregularities" in the electoral process but stopped short of rejecting the result. The official result, announced late on Monday, gave Mr Cope, an ally of ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, 50.03% of the vote, while Mr Fillon polled 49.97%, losing by just 98 votes.
His supporters now say that if the 1,300 votes from the three overseas territories were included, Mr Fillon would be the real winner by 26 votes. Cope unmoved
In a public statement, Mr Fillon said he would not challenge the result in court. But he has asked France's former Foreign Minister, Alain Juppe, to head the party as interim leader until the problems are resolved. The results produced by the Fillon camp on Wednesday cover the territories of New Caledonia, Mayotte, and Wallis and Futuna.
"Everybody can see that our party is at an impasse. Its credibility and unity are under threat," Mr Fillon said, adding that he was "simply demanding the truth". If the 1,300 votes from the three overseas territories were included, Mr Fillon would be the real winner, his supporters said.
"I do not want our movement to tear itself apart under the weight of suspicions that are now hanging over this vote." Mr Juppe said he "needed to think" about Mr Fillon's request but sources close to Mr Fillon said he had already accepted the suggestion, AFP news agency reports.
Mr Cope told journalists he was opposed to a recount. "There were results, we must now rally and work together," he said. Mr Cope told journalists he was opposed to a recount, and repeated his appeal for Mr Fillon to help reunite the party. "There were results, we must now rally and work together," he said.
Although the election committee cannot reverse the decision, candidates have access to an appeal process.Although the election committee cannot reverse the decision, candidates have access to an appeal process.
The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says that even before the controversial result was announced, a war of words had ensued between the two factions, raising real fears that the UMP, France's biggest party, could split. The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says that even before the controversial result was announced, a war of words had ensued between the two factions, raising real fears that the UMP could split.
Mr Cope's polarising rhetoric on Islam and immigration has alienated some in the party and Mr Fillon's more moderate supporters are now threatening to leave the party altogether, he adds.Mr Cope's polarising rhetoric on Islam and immigration has alienated some in the party and Mr Fillon's more moderate supporters are now threatening to leave the party altogether, he adds.
On the left, a senior Socialist called the crisis a "tragicomedy", the news agency AFP reported, while the leader of the far-right National Front, Marine Le Pen, mocked the vote as "pathetic".
"The UMP is definitely no longer a credible opposition to the Socialists, it is far too weakened and may be already dead," she said.