France Putin: Fillon and Hour Debate

france putin: Socialist Ex-Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg was declared the tentative winner. 13.01.2017 Is Francois Fillon of France Putin's preferred presidential candidate Conservative French politician Francois Fillon is rumored to have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Deutsche Welle. DW talked to experts to find out if that might be true. 29.11.2016 The state should only be a shareholder in strategic companies, Fillon said in an interview with the French magazine Capital. He is also likely to become a difficult partner for the German government, writes DW's Barbara Wesel. 28.11.2016 Fragile French left holds fractious debate ahead of primary voteA terse two-and-a-half hour debate between France's seven left-wing candidates exposed deep divisions ahead of presidential primaries. The 62-year-old - who won the nomination of the center-right Republicans in November's primary in a last-minute upset - is leading most polls to win the first round of presidential voting. A mixed blessing Fillon plans to cut unemployment - stuck at around 10 percent, but falling in recent months - and reduce public debt, at almost 100 percent of GDP. He wants to raise the retirement age, cut taxes and red tape for companies and abolish the 35-hour working week. Fillon's qualities are seen by his supporters as a combination of Gaullist for those yearning for the nationalist qualities of Charles de Gaulle Catholic for those seeking a return to Catholic roots as national identity is seen as coming under siege and, at the same time Thatcherite, an appeal that has little connection with either. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.