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7 candidates vie for right-wing primary for 2017 presidential ticket

Xinhua, September 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy and six other conservative nominees will run in the right-wing primary to unseat Francois Hollande, the current occupant of the Elysee Palace, in 2017, the committee organizing the competition said Wednesday.

The short-list of contenders for the primaries includes the main players of Sarokzy's government five years ago: former foreign minister Alain Juppe -- a favorite in recent polls -- ex-Premier Francois Fillon, former agriculture minister Bruno Le Maire, and politician Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.

Jean-Francois Cope, ex-president of the conservative party UMP, and Jean-Frederic Poisson, the head of the Christian Democratic Party, will also compete in the primary.

Echoing people's concerns, the seven candidates have all stressed fixing economic troubles and preserving security in France as their priorities.

Three televised debates will precede the two rounds of votes on Nov. 20 and 27.

The winner will face a Socialist Party candidate and Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right National Front party. Endit