Alain Juppe has ruled himself out of replacing Francois Fillon in the French presidential election.
The former prime minister said he will not be a replacement for Mr Fillon if he withdraws his presidential bid.
Mr Juppe, who came second to Mr Fillon in the party’s primaries in November, had been touted as a potential replacement after his party’s beleaguered candidate was engulfed by a “fake jobs” scandal.
“I confirm once and for all that I will not be candidate to the presidency of the Republic,” Mr Juppe said in his hometown of Bordeaux, adding that it was because it had become harder than ever to unite his conservative Republican party and because voters wanted fresh faces.
“What a waste!,” Mr Juppe said of the Fillon campaign.
Mr Fillon said last week he was summoned to appear before judges for allegedly using taxpayers’ money to pay family members, including his British wife, for jobs that may not have existed.
Mr Fillon’s image has been dented since the scandal broke and polls are now suggesting far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist independent candidate Emmanuel Macron will come out on top in the first-round vote next month.
The top two vote-getters go on to compete in the May presidential run-off.
A poll released over the weekend suggested Mr Juppe would have a better chance at reaching the run-off than Mr Fillon.
