Conservative candidate Francois Fillon has been left fighting to save his presidential candidacy following new revelations over his wife's job. Current opinion polls have put independent Emmanuel Macron at 64 percent.
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Never one to shy from a political scandal, France wandered further down a rumor-filled election road on Tuesday as scandal-hit Conservative candidate Francois Fillon was placed at 18.5 percent in a second-round opinion poll, propelling independent frontrunner Emmanuel Macron still further ahead.
According to a rolling opinion poll by the IFOP, Macron would win the May 7 run-off with 64 percent. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen also came out ahead of Fillon with almost double the votes at 36 percent.
French election: The major players
France is choosing a new president this year. A first round vote on April 23 isn't expected to produce a clear winner, setting up a face-off between the top two contenders on May 7. DW takes a look at the major players.
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Emmanuel Macron
Macron quit as economy minister in August and launched his independent presidential bid in November. The 39-year-old centrist formed his own political movement, En Marche (Forward), and is seen as a reformer. Despite having never held elected office, polls have predicted his win in the final round of voting in May. He's voiced admiration for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy.
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Marine Le Pen
The National Front leader has adopted a more moderate tone than her anti-Semitic father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. But she still takes a hard line on immigration, saying children of irregular migrants should not have access to public education. She also wants France to withdraw from the eurozone and have a referendum on EU membership. It's predicted she'll advance to the second round.
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Francois Fillon
A surprise winner of the right-wing Republicans primaries, the socially conservative Fillon is seen to represent the interests of France's Catholic middle class. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he supports a liberal economic policy. Though Penelopegate and other scandals have marred Fillon's campaign, he has professed no wrongdoing and vowed to fight on.
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Benoit Hamon
In a runoff against former French PM Manuel Valls in the Socialist primary, Hamon was the more left-wing choice of the two politicians. The 49-year-old supports a universal basic income and wants to shorten the traditional work week. He has also spoken in support of increased investment in renewable energy. He faces an uphill battle as many socialist politicians have voiced support for Macron.
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Jean-Luc Melenchon
The Left Party's candidate landed fourth in the 2012 presidential elections. Melenchon, a current European Parliament member, believes the bloc's economic liberalism has stifled France. He hopes to profit from the center-left's disarray, but may split votes with socialist Hamon. Supported by the French Communist party, Melenchon advocates a shorter work week and climate protection.
Hoping to put the scandal behind him, the conservative admitted on Monday that he had made an "error." On Tuesday, however, the Canard Enchaîné newspaper, which was behind the original revelations, published new claims that could further hinder Fillon's candidacy.
The paper said Penelope - who earned over 800,000 euros pre-tax ($860,000) for 15 years of employment as a parliamentary assistant - also received a 45,000-euro payout after the end of two of her contracts.
What you need to know about Francois Fillon and "Penelopegate"
Francois Fillon is struggling to rebuild his presidential campaign after accusations that he hired family members in "fake jobs". But what exactly has Fillon been accused of - and how has he defended himself?
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Frontrunner no more
Many expected Francois Fillon to be a shoo-in for the presidency. The former French prime minister easily won the conservative primary with 67 percent of the vote. But then Penelopegate hit. Weekly newspaper Canard Enchaine reported that Fillon's wife Penelope and two of his children had received close to one million euros in salaries from Fillon, paid by the state. Fillon's popularity tumbled.
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Working for her husband?
It is not illegal in France to hire family members as parliamentary assistants - provided they have real jobs. Fillon's wife was paid 830,000 euros ($900,000) as a parliamentary assistant for 15 years, working (or - as some have suggested - "working") for Fillon and his replacement in parliament. Police are currently investigating whether Penelope provided services for the salary she received.
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Keeping it in the family
Reporters also revealed that Fillon paid his two oldest children 84,000 euros for working as assistants between 2005 and 2007. Fillon argued that he had hired Marie and Charles Fillon for their legal expertise - though the two were still in law school when they had jobs with their father.
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More accusations
Penelope was also employed at an art magazine from May 2012 to December 2013, where she was paid roughly 5,000 euros a month. The owner of the magazine had previously been recommended for France's highest honor, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, by then-prime minister Francois Fillon. Fillon has said that these two facts were unrelated.
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A smear campaign?
Fillon has repeatedly denied charges that he used "fake jobs" to enrich his family. He has said that he employed his wife and children because he trusted them and accused the media of running a smear campaign against him. Nevertheless, Penelopegate has severely damaged the campaign of the 63-year old, who has sold himself to French voters as an honest family man keen on cutting public spending.
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Certainly not a first
The accusations against Fillon are hardly the first of their kind in France. Ex-President Jacques Chirac was found guilty in 2011 of employing party members in "fake jobs" as mayor of Paris. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy is being investigated for illegal campaign financing, and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is suspected of paying officials in her far-right party with EU funds.
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She received a first payout of 16,000 euros in 2002 at the end of a contract with her husband - only for her to be rehired as an aide two weeks later. A second payment of 29,000 euros followed in 2013, the Canard wrote.
The paper also reported that investigators probing the possible misuse of public funds had been unable to find "the slightest trace of Penelope's 15 years of work."
Frontrunner Macron meanwhile laughed off rumors late on Monday that he was having a gay relationship with Radio France chief executive Mathieu Gallet, outside his marriage to his former teacher Brigitte Trogneux.
"If you're told I lead a double life with Mr Gallet, it's because my hologram has escaped," the former economy minister told supporters.
A spokeswoman said the comments were "a clear denial of the rumors about his private life."
