Frances' Juppe sets battle lines with 'brutal' Fillon before primary runoff

By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Former French prime minister Alain Juppe sought to regain momentum on Monday in the battle for the center-right's presidential nomination, accusing his rival Francois Fillon of pushing a "brutal" economic program that would break France. Fillon, prime minister between 2007 to 2012 under Nicolas Sarkozy, won 44 percent of votes in the first-round of the center-right's nomination race, some 15 percent more than Juppe, whom he now faces in the second-round runoff. A snap poll by Opinionway after Sunday's results showed Fillon winning the head-to-head contest against Juppe with 56 percent of support, putting him in pole position for a showdown with far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the election next spring.

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