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Nicolas Sarkozy's 2017 comeback in jeopardy as fraud scandal forces opposition party leader Jean-François Copé to quit | The Independent | The Independent
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![Jean-Francois Cope, outgoing leader of France's centre-right UMP political party, appears on the set of TF1 television ahead of the evening news programme at their studios in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, May 27, Jean-Francois Cope, outgoing leader of France's centre-right UMP political party, appears on the set of TF1 television ahead of the evening news programme at their studios in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, May 27,](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2CXTK75/jean-francois-cope-outgoing-leader-of-frances-centre-right-ump-political-party-appears-on-the-set-of-tf1-television-ahead-of-the-evening-news-programme-at-their-studios-in-boulogne-billancourt-near-paris-may-27-2014-cope-head-of-frances-main-opposition-ump-party-agreed-on-tuesday-to-step-down-amid-allegations-of-party-funding-fraud-party-officials-said-triggering-a-race-to-secure-the-conservative-partys-ticket-for-the-2017-presidential-election-reuterspierre-andrieupool-france-tags-politics-2CXTK75.jpg)
Jean-Francois Cope, outgoing leader of France's centre-right UMP political party, appears on the set of TF1 television ahead of the evening news programme at their studios in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, May 27,
![Jean-Francois Cope attending the last day of the UMP Summer University nicknamed 'Campus' in Seignosse, France, on September 6, 2009. Photo by Patrick Bernard/ABACAPRESS.COM Stock Photo - Alamy Jean-Francois Cope attending the last day of the UMP Summer University nicknamed 'Campus' in Seignosse, France, on September 6, 2009. Photo by Patrick Bernard/ABACAPRESS.COM Stock Photo - Alamy](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2E4BE91/jean-francois-cope-attending-the-last-day-of-the-ump-summer-university-nicknamed-campus-in-seignosse-france-on-september-6-2009-photo-by-patrick-bernardabacapresscom-2E4BE91.jpg)