French candidate Fillon’s home searched in corruption probe

And the candidate most likely to benefit from all of this – the centrist Emmanuel Macron – has also courted controversy.

The National Front leader is facing increased scrutiny after several members of her staff were accused by officials of being paid for non-existent jobs at the European Parliament.

Veteran French conservative Alain Juppe is ready to step in as presidential candidate if the beleaguered Francois Fillon pulls out, his entourage said Friday as the list of deserters from Fillon’s camp grew. It found Macron beating Le Pen in the second-round with 62 percent of the vote.

The reason for Kerry’s visit with Macron was not immediately clear.

“We are not proposing to reform our country”, Macron said, offering a slew of lofty promises.

Fillon’s presidential bid also hit trouble earlier, with more defections from his campaign because of the pending corruption charges against him.

But Fillon’s campaign seems to be getting out of control. Juppe was runner-up, but has said he doesn’t want to run in Fillon’s place. The right-wing candidate has questioned the motives of the judges leading the probe, labeling it a “political assassination” and has vowed to stay in the race.

France 24 says Le Pen “has so far refused to attend a police interview over the investigation… citing her status as a member of the European parliament”. The MEPs’ vote on immunity applies only to that case and not to another investigation on alleged fake job contracts in the European Parliament.

Opinion polls now show that far-right leader Marine Le Pen and 39-year-old centrist Emmanuel Macron would progress to contest the runoff on May 7.

French stocks have underperformed others in the region on worries among investors that Le Pen – who’s in favor of leaving the European Union and the euro – could win the first voting round.

“There can’t be zero tolerance for young people from poor neighbourhoods and indulgence towards the powerful and white-collar fraud”, he said.The 39-year old is set to unveil his full manifesto at a news conference in Paris later on Thursday.