Fillon races to the front in French rightwing primary

Francois Fillon heads into a five-day runoff campaign for France's conservative presidential ticket as favorite over opponent Alain Juppe after a stunning first-round vote result that ousted ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy from the race.

Market analysts said the outcome opens up fresh uncertainty about the result of next year's actual presidential election, potentially increasing a still remote risk that far-right leader Marine Le Pen can win it.

Before that though, Fillon is up against another former prime minister, Alain Juppe, in a second round of the primaries on Nov 27.