France's Sarkozy recognizes defeat, backs Fillon for conservative ticket

Ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday recognized his defeat in the conservative nomination contest for the 2017 presidential election and threw his weight behind Francois Fillon, who was his prime minister in 2007-2012. "I hold Alain Juppe in high esteem, but I feel closer to Francois Fillon's political choices," Sarkozy told supporters. According to results based on 7,948 polling stations out of a total 10,229, Fillon was seen gathering 43.9 percent of the votes, former prime minister A