French Prime Minister Manuel Valls resigned on Monday and announced his decision to run for president next year. “We’re told the left does not stand a chance, but nothing’s set in stone,” said Valls, who will seek a Socialist Party nomination. “I want us to lead the left to victory!”
The 54-year-old’s road to secure a Socialist Party ticket was cleared after President Francois Hollande said he would not run this time. This made him the first leader of the country since France’s Fifth Republic was created in 1958 to not seek a second term, Reuters reported. Valls said, “We must unite: My candidacy is one of conciliation, of reconciliation.”
A former mayor of Parisian suburb Evry, Valls will contest against eight other Socialist Party nominees. Former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg is expected to be his chief contender. Opinion polls indicate that it is unlikely for a left candidate or for far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen to win the 2017 elections, but suggest an imminent victory for Republican nominee Francois Fillon.
Valls’ resignation as prime minister comes into effect on Tuesday. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Health Minister Marisol Touraine are likely candidates to replace him. The April-May 2017 presidential elections in France will be seen as a test of mainstream political candidates in the West, following Donald Trump’s victory in the United States presidential polls on November 8.
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