Jospin to Quit Politics If Defeat Confirmed

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, April 22, 2002

Jospin to Quit Politics If Defeat Confirmed

The French presidential candidate, Lionel Jospin, said Sunday in Paris that he will quit the political life if his defeat in the first round of presidential election is confirmed.

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The French presidential candidate, Lionel Jospin, said Sunday in Paris that he will quit the political life if his defeat in the first round of presidential election is confirmed.

Jospin, the current French prime minister, described as "a crash of thunder" the results of Sunday's first round of the presidential election, in which far-rightist Jean-Marie Le Pen surprisingly defeated him and became one of the two finalists for second round scheduled for May 5.

"It is a crash of thunder. It is a very disturbing sign for France and for our democracy," said Jospin, referring to Le Pen's shock success released hours earlier by major survey institutions.

The 73-year-old far-rightist got 17 to 17.9 percent of the ballots, second among the 16 candidates contesting the first roundafter incumbent President Jacques Chirac who won 19.7 to 20 percent of the votes.

Jospin was on the third position and eliminated from the race.

"I fully assume the responsibility of this failure and I draw conclusion from it that I will quit the political life after the end of the presidential election," he said at the headquarters of his campaign in Paris.

"Up till that day, I will naturally keep exercising my functionas head of government," he said.

The speech of Jospin was interrupted by applauds several times by the audience, of whom some were in tears.

"I am proud of the work that the Socialist government has accomplished in the past five years... I have done my best in serving the French people during these five years," he said.

"I called on the Socialists and the left to mobilize and get together starting from right now for the legislative elections in order to reconstruct the future," Jospin added.

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