Presidential race heats up
– Left-wing outsider Benoit Hamon will fight former prime minister Manuel Valls for the French Socialist presidential nomination on Sunday after winning the first round of the party’s primary.
Hamon was not considered a contender when the campaign began in December, but the 49-yearold ex-education minister put himself in the lead with a “message of hope and renewal”.
With Europe shifting to the right and unpopular President Francois Hollande ruling himself out of contention, the Socialist primary will be a fight for the party’s soul, with the left faction represented by Hamon battling Valls’ centrist camp.
Hamon, 49, scored more than 36%, with Valls, 54, trailing on 31%, according to results from about 80% of polling stations.
Former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg was eliminated with 17% and immediately threw his support behind Hamon.
Whoever wins the Socialist nomination faces long odds as polls show the presidential election coming down to a contest between conservative ex-premier Francois Fillon, far-right leader Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, 39, the former economy minister.
Valls told his supporters the Socialist primary runoff would be “a clear choice between unachievable promises and a credible left”. – AFP