Ally of France's Fillon Quits Team, Criticizes Candidate
An ally of France's Francois Fillon on Wednesday quit the rightwing presidential candidate's campaign, criticizing him for failing to keep his word after he refused to bow out despite facing criminal charges.
"I believe in respect for your word, it is essential to credibility in politics," Bruno Le Maire said after Fillon announced he would continue his bid for the presidency even though he will be charged this month in an expenses scandal.
Le Maire, a 47-year-old former agriculture minister, himself stood in the November primary of the Republicans party won by Fillon before becoming his foreign affairs point man.
Le Maire said he made the decision to leave the campaign "in accordance with my principles," a move that quickly garnered the support of three Republicans lawmakers.
Fillon, 62, had earlier vowed to drop out of the race if charged in the inquiry into whether he fraudulently placed his wife Penelope on the public payroll as his parliamentary assistant.
He reversed that pledge in mid-February, telling the conservative daily Le Figaro: "The closer we get to the presidential election, the more outrageous it would be to deprive the right and the center of a candidate."
Source: Agence France Presse
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