France is expected to elect its first truly Thatcherite leader of the Right on Sunday, with François Fillon in pole position to take on an ebullient far-Right Front National.

Seen as a no-hoper even a month ago, one last-minute poll put Mr Fillon, a former prime minister, winning the presidential primary nomination for his Republicans party with 61 per cent of the vote against 39 per cent for his older, more moderate rival, Alain Juppé.

Mr Juppé and Mr Fillon voted in their respective fiefdoms on Sunday morning, after polls opened at 8am.

The vote is open to anyone who pays €2 and signs a paper saying they adhere to the ideas of the Right and centre.

Mr Fillon cast his vote in Paris' 7th arrondissement where he is an MP, while his Welsh wife, Penelope, voted in the western Sarthe region, where the family is based.

Mr Juppé, who hopes to win over swathes of centre and even Left-wing voters, cast his ballot in the south-western town of Bordeaux, where he is mayor.

Mr Fillon said he was "waiting for the voters' verdict - it is they who speak, not the candidate".

A relaxed-looking Mr Juppé said: "It was a fine campaign, I defended my ideas until the end. I hope it works."