Valls losing momentum in primaries

THE worries are mounting for former French prime minister Manuel Valls as he bids to clinch the Socialist Party nomination for this year’s presidential election.

After shunting aside his long-time boss, deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande, Valls was hoping for a smooth run to the nomination in the Socialist primary vote later this month.

But since Hollande decided not to run for reelection in December, the 54-year-old Spanish-born centrist has fallen from clear favourite to a man with a serious political fight on his hands.

A new poll on Monday showed Valls losing momentum as the primary votes on January 22 and 29 draw closer, with his leftist rival and ex-ministerial colleague, Arnaud Montebourg, beating him in some scenarios.

“I’m trying to embody a reformist left-wing which rejects liberalism but tries to make progress at the same time,” Valls said in an interview with France 2 television last week.

This was reflected in his programme, unveiled to little fanfare on January 3, that contained few of his formerly bold reform ideas.

Valls came to national prominence as a tough-talker who wanted to modernise his party by shrinking state spending, helping businesses and extending working hours.

His record as prime minister for 2½ years under Hollande includes pushing through liberalising economic policies considered too rightwing by many Socialists.

But now he needs the support of left-wing grassroots voters, many of whom prefer the traditional big state Socialist agenda of Montebourg, a former industry minister, or Benoit Hamon, an ex-education minister.

“I know that lots of people liked me when I was a taboo-breaker. But of course I’ve changed. I haven’t changed my convictions, but I’ve grown wiser,” Valls said last week.

Only a few hundred people turned out to a Valls event at the weekend in northern France.

In focus particularly is his declaration that he wants to phase out executive powers that allow the prime minister to force legislation through parliament – having used it six times while in office. – AFP