Nicolas Sarkozy concedes defeat in France’s primary rightwing election after attempting dramatic political comeback

NICOLAS Sarkozy has conceded defeat in the French rightwing primary vote.

The former French president had attempted to stage a comeback for the 2017 elections but was forced to concede after Sunday's votes saw him slipping further behind his fellow candidates.

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The country's former prime ministers Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe were seen qualifying for a second round runoff of France's conservative primaries on Sunday, first partial results of the vote showed.

The men will now go head to head in the US-style voting system on November 27 - with the winner likely to win next May's election.

With votes counted from more than half of polling stations, Fillon was seen to receive 43.5 per cent of the votes, Juppe collecting 27.6 per cent and Sarkozy just 22.1 per cent.

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In his concession speech, Sarkozy said: "I was not able to convince the voters... but I respect the result."

The 61-year-old added: "I have no bitterness, I have no sadness, and I wish the best for my country."

He said he would now vote for Fillon - who won the initial vote in a landslide victory.

The news came after polls put Marine Le Pen ahead of Nicolas Sarkozy as preferred leader in the latest French presidential election polls.

The far-right leader took 29 per cent of the vote when pitted against Les Républicains' former president, with Nicolas Sarkozy eight points behind.

 saw the strong leader edging further ahead as French conservative voters turned out on Sunday to choose their candidate for next year's presidential elections.

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The result, expected to be announced late on Sunday, will produce two front runners for another head to head on November 27.

With the French left in disarray under the deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande, pollsters have suggested that the centre-right nominee to emerge after the head-to-head will defeat the National Front's eurosceptic, anti-immigration leader Marine Le Pen in the final round of the election next May.

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With the polls suggesting le Pen has a strong lead, intellectual and French media personality Bernard-Henri Levy has said she could become the country's next President.

Speaking to the , he said: "If Trump is possible, then everything is possible.

"Nothing, from now on, is unimaginable."

He said people were now focusing on personality rather than policy.