Felon Alain Juppe has successfully re-entered French politics after waiting out a year's ineligibility and 14-month suspended prison sentence following his graft conviction.

DISGRACED JUPPE MAKES COMEBACK AS MAYOR

BORDEAUX October 9, 2006 (AFP) - A disgraced French former conservative prime minister, Alain Juppé, was Monday enjoying his political comeback after winning a weekend election to regain a job as mayor of Bordeaux.

The municipal election Sunday marked Juppe's return following the expiry of a ban on holding public office imposed on him in 2004, when he was convicted of illegal funding of President Jacques Chirac's RPR party in the early 1990s.

Juppé, 61, won 56 percent of the votes [56.24%] in the southwest city after the incumbent mayor [Hugues Martin], also of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement, stepped down for him.

A close friend and confidant of Chirac, Juppé has already said he plans to seek a parliamentary seat in elections due mid-2007.

Jack called M. Juppé "le meilleur d’entre nous", but the best is the one not caught.

JUPPÉ : "C'EST UNE BELLE VICTOIRE"
BORDEAUX October 10, 2006 (NouvelObs)

Oh, yes, very sweet, but with near 55% abstentions, the Bordelaises appear indifferent to who governs them.

PFFT (What is this?): M. Juppé's resurrection 2 | Rayonnement français 0