Paris - 24 November 2016

1. Wide of Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris:

"(French Presidential hopeful Francois) Fillon has taken a very conservative right wing position versus Alain Juppe who came in second. Fillon thinks that he is a combination of Thatcher and Reagan. Who you listen to his last talk he came out a little bit like Trump. I would say 10 percent Trump, he is not totally as extreme as Trump but nevertheless still appeals to Catholics and conservative voters. Juppe on the other hand is trying to appeal to the centre and to the left as much as possible."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris:

"I think Fillon is playing Trump in the sense that he is looking for young voters, for conservative voters. He is trying to attract Le Pen's voters and therefore appealing to the extreme right but not going so far as Le Pen (Marine Le Pen, French National Front President) in terms of anti-Europe. He wants in fact to create a stronger Europe and build on liberal policies. (Former French President) Valery Giscard d'Estaing has talked about a European Defense, a European Corps. Now that Brexit has taken place and the Brits are more or less out of Europe the idea is that Europe can build itself up again."

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6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris:

"Well I think that a lot of centre and left people who don't like Fillon's right wing and Christian-social policies, who are not upset about gay votes or gay marriage or gay adoption, issues like that which Fillon has come out fairly strong on, he's not going to change gay marriage, but the big question is gay adoption."

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8. SOUNDBITE (English) Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris:

"I think it's anyone's game, it really depends on the voters' turnout. If enough centrists come out to support Juppe we could see a surprise and Juppe himself said it was going to happen. It's possible. Only if the people are really afraid that Le Pen could be … What has rallied France in the past has been the fear that Le Pen was going to be the next candidate. And if they really think that Juppe is the candidate to fight her they will come out en masse. If not it is going to be a very close election. My preference would be for Juppe but I am afraid Fillon seems to have an edge at the moment."

9. Wide of Gardner

Sunday's French presidential centre-right primary runoff pits a candidate campaigning on traditional family values and drastic free-market policies against a more moderate figure who accuses his rival of pandering to the far-right.

Francois Fillon, 62, is counting on his solid score in the first round - over 44 percent - and the support of former President Nicolas Sarkozy to beat Alain Juppe, 71, who received 28,6 percent of the votes.

In next year's presidential election, the conservative nominee's toughest competition is likely to come from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is hoping to be swept into power on a wave of populism.

Fillon could prove a tough rival to Le Pen, since his traditional conservatism appeals to some of her voter base.

Hall Gardner, professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris said Fillon "is looking for young voters, for conservative voters".

"He is trying to attract Le Pen's voters and therefore appealing to the extreme right but not going so far as Le Pen in terms of anti-Europe."

In the first round, Fillon especially attracted votes from those who took the streets in 2013 to protest against a law legalising gay marriage.

Fillon, who pledged to ban same-sex couples from adopting, is also in line with Europe's concerns about immigration, and pledged to hold a referendum on a quota system to reduce the number of legal immigrants by half.

Juppe's economic platform is not much different from Fillon's - raising the retirement age to 65, extending the workweek beyond 35 hours, cutting taxes.

But Juppe has taken a more moderate stance on controlling immigration and on Islam, urging respect for religious freedom.

Juppe is also campaigning firmly against populism, calling for a "happy" national identity that respects France's diversity.