MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The advancement of far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen to the second round of the elections would be an indicator of the poor state of affairs within France's society, Francois Fillon, the former prime minister and The Republicans' nominee said Wednesday.
"[In the second round I will face the rival], which the French will choose for me. I do not choose. The only thing I can say is that if my opponent is the National Front [party candidate], it will be a sign that things are not going well in the country," Fillon told Le Parisien newspaper.
The first round of the French presidential election is scheduled for this Sunday, while the run-off is set for May 7.
According to the recent Cevipof survey, independent presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron leads with 23 percent of projected votes against Le Pen's 22.5 percent, while their two closest rivals, Fillon and far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, trail behind with 19.5 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
