(CNN) Former prime minister François Fillon appears poised to become the next leader of France's Republican party as millions of voters go to the polls Sunday. The winner will likely face Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front Party in a presidential vote next spring. Fillon, 62, is a lawyer who served as prime minister between 2007 and 2012 under Sarkozy. He has been compared to Britain's "Iron Lady," the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, for his hardline social policies. Juppé, 71, also served as prime minister -- from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac.

Source: CNN November 27, 2016 15:56 UTC