Excerpt:
Francois Fillon, an unabashed rightwinger promising radical economic reforms, is hoping for another clear win over his rival Alain Juppe in Sunday's run-off round of a primary expected to produce France's next president.
Fillon, a 62-year-old former prime minister, is the clear favourite to win the presidential nomination of the Republicans party and its allies over Juppe, a centrist.
At a final rally Friday in Paris, Fillon taunted opponents and commentators taken aback by his late surge from the middle of the field to pole position last week.