François Fillon attacks ‘Paris elite’ before second-round primary

François Fillon, the former French prime minister promising to introduce “electric shock” economic reform, has rounded off his campaign for the right’s presidential nomination by lashing out at what he called the small-minded liberal Paris elite who warned he was a dangerous social reactionary.

The socially conservative, rightwing Fillon – who remains favourite to beat the more moderate, centrist Alain Juppé in the final vote on Sunday – has complained of being depicted as a “medieval” retrograde. His campaign emphasised his Catholic family values in order to appeal to supporters on the religious right who oppose same-sex marriage and adoption rights introduced in France three years ago.

Pierre Bergé, the French businessman and partner of the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, tweeted that a vote for Fillon was a vote for “reactionary France”, likening it to a return to the days of the Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regime. In a radio interview, Fillon slammed Bergé’s comments as “the ridiculous frenzy of a tiny microcosm who think they know everything and want to impose their vision”.

Although Fillon has vowed not to overturn the 2013 law introducing same-sex marriage, nor make any change to abortion law, he has promised to roll back certain parental rights for same-sex couples.

Fillon, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, has promised to slash 500,000 public sector jobs in five years, cut public spending, lower taxes and break the power of trade unions. He is regarded as having won the final TV debate on Thursday night against Juppé, which attracted a record audience of 8.5 million viewers.

Both candidates are former rightwing prime ministers who share a broadly similar economic programme to cut public spending and trim France’s large social welfare model. But they differ on scale. Fillon said reform must be quick and decisive. Juppé said structural reform needed to be done gently, accusing Fillon of going too far in a brutal, punishing manner.

Fillon has raised the question of identity politics, stressing that French national identity must be protected. “France is not a multicultural nation,” he said during the debate, adding that foreigners who came to France must assimilate. Juppé replied that he thought France’s identity came from its diversity.