The leader of France’ main opposition Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) fell on his sword on Tuesday over the party’s defeat by the National Front (FN) in last weekend’s European elections.
Jean-Francois Cope told a meeting of the party’s executive committee that he would resign on June 15, France Info radio reported.
Mr. Cope’s rivals within the party, led by former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, had been demanding his immediate resignation. A new leadership vote is to be held in October.
The centre-right UMP had been running neck-and-neck with the far-right FN in opinion polls before Sunday’s election but finished a distant second, with 20 seats to the FN’s 24.
A scandal involving multimillion-euro contracts for friends of Mr. Cope was blamed for costing the party votes.
