François Hollande’s dramatic announcement that he will not seek a second term as France’s president has opened the way for the Socialist prime minister, Manuel Valls, to to mount a bid. Valls is expected to swiftly throw his hat into the ring to become the Socialist presidential candidate and perhaps resign as prime minister in order to campaign for the party’s primary vote, to be held at the end of January. Valls, 54, has been gearing up for weeks for a possible bid, making grand speeches trying to reposition himself at the heart of the Socialist party. Valls joined the Socialist party aged 18, and progressed up the ranks in local politics on the outskirts of Paris, where inequality was rife. As Hollande’s combative interior minister, Valls was also criticised on the left for saying Roma people could not integrate in France.

Source: The Guardian December 02, 2016 14:06 UTC