France goes to the polls for the first round of its presidential election in April and there is fear that ballot will produce the same upheavals as did the presidential campaign in the United States and the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom. In the uncertainty that has swamped politics in Europe, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen appears to have better chances than ever before, although she is being pressed by another challenger to the established political order, Emmanuel Macron, a former economy minister under Socialist President Francois Hollande who is running as an independent. As Moscow continues its efforts to undermine and de-legitimize Western democracies, alleged Russian interference in the election magnifies the uncertainty.

The campaign began with former Prime Minister Francois Fillon looking set to capitalize on disaffection with Hollande's tenure and reclaiming the presidency for the center-right. But he has been dogged by allegations that his wife was paid a salary — more than €800,000 over a 10-year period — as a parliamentary aide without doing any work. (According to one report she had neither a parliamentary pass or a work email account.) She is also reported to have been paid another €100,000 for writing a few articles for a literary magazine owned by a billionaire friend of the family. Finally, Fillon's two children were paid for doing legal work at their father's office, although neither was qualified as a lawyer.

This is business as usual for many French politicians. The practice is not illegal and by one count 115 of 577 French members of Parliament hired family on either a full or part-time basis. The problem for Fillon is that his wife is on the record denying that she worked for him — in a video that has since disappeared — and he has a reputation for probity and separating work from family life. The inquiry is continuing but Fillon says he will fight the charges and contest the election.