Baku-APA. The Electoral Appeals Commission of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Monday confirmed Jean-Francois Cope, an ally of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, as the party's new boss after chaotic vote dispute, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
In a statement posted on UMP website, the commission affirmed Cope's victory over ex-prime minister Francois Fillon, edging him by 952 votes after cancelling the disputed results of overseas New Caledonia and those of the first and third offices in the southeastern region of Alpes-Maritimes.
The election of UMP new president was tainted by deep split between the contenders after both sides claimed winning the race and irregularities in the voting process held in Nov. 18.
On Sunday, Fillon announced to seek judicial solutions after the failure of a mediation for voting dispute over the conservative party leadership with Cope.
To the incumbent leader of the UMP, "there is neither winner nor loser, but one big family" in an attempt to overstep the chaotic rifts and lineup the party's members to play their prominent role of strong opposition to President Francois Hollande's Socialists.
"It is up to each person conscientiously to choose forgiveness rather than dividing, the future rather than the rancor," Cope said after the final results' release.
"We need Francois Fillon," added the 48-year-old lawmaker, reiterating his pledges to work with the former prime minister who, for his turn, denounced "illegal decision" and Cope "coup" to lead the centre-right party.
Refusing once gain the vote results, Fillon's objective "remains the same which is the announcement of the real results ... and reserve any way to have indisputable and undisputed results," Fillon's spokesman Jerome Chartier said.
Founded by former president Jacques Chirac in 2002, the UMP eyes to wrest power back from the governing Socialists in 2017.
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