Despite being behind in opinion polls over the past two weeks, Francois Fillon's win is not that surprising.

The 62-year-old Fillon served as Prime Minister from 2007 to 2012 under Nicolas Sarkozy. With a master's degree in public law, Fillon entered politics in his 20s, and was elected to the National Assembly at the age of 27. In 1993, he became the Minister of Higher Education and Research.

Before becoming Prime Minister, he worked as ministers for different fields for multiple times. Fillon is a rare fan of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He's promising radical reforms to France's regulation-encumbered economy, vowing to roll back the state and slash government's bloated costs.