PARIS (AP) — Independent French presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron has won the backing of the country's defense minister, which could bolster voter confidence that the 39-year-old is presidential material despite having no party and limited political experience. A former banker and economy minister with pro-market views, Macron is considered the front-runner for France's two-round presidential vote on April 23 and May 7. The French conservative presidential candidate and former prime minister, Francois Fillon, has seen his candidacy sink this year since facing allegations that his wife and children held fake government-paid political jobs for years.