French PM Manuel Valls declares bid for presidency

[webfact]

French PM Manuel Valls declares bid for presidency

 

 

PARIS: -- The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has declared his bid to become the Socialist candidate for next year’s presidential election.

 

His move follows last week’s decision by the unpopular President Hollande not to seek a second term in office.

 

The 54-year-old said he was outraged at the left’s poor prospects at the election as suggested by poll ratings and infighting.

 

“The time, yes, time, has come to go further in my commitment. Statesmanship leads me to decide that I can no longer be Prime Minister while at the same time being candidate. In total agreement with the President of the Republic, I will resign from my role from tomorrow because I want to offer the French people a path in complete freedom,” Valls said to applause from supporters in the Paris suburb of Evry, where he was mayor for over a decade.

 

The prime minister’s tough rhetoric on law and order and business-friendly economic stance make him unpopular with the left of his party.

Although he is seen as favourite to win the Socialist nomination at the party’s primaries next January, Valls may face an uphill struggle to reach the run-off of the presidential election itself next spring.

 

Opinion polls suggest the final showdown is likely to be fought between conservative candidate François Fillon and the anti-establishment National Front leader Marine Le Pen – although such surveys have proved to be wrong more than once in recent elections.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-12-06

[Retiredandhappyhere]

European politics seem to be in a state of turmoil right now, what with the Brexit result, the Italian situation and now this French upheaval plus the German elections due next year.  Coupled with Italy's and Spain's economic problems plus the long-standing ones of Greece and the depreciation of the Euro, I wonder if we are witnessing the beginning of the end ot the great European experiment? 

[blazes]

Brave fella!!  Socialist friendly to business and pal of Hollande and hoping to do better than Hollande (down to 4% approval)????

 

Welcome, Dr Pangloss.  All is for the best (in the best of all possible worlds).

 

 

[Morch]

Wonder if he actually believes his chances or simply keeping himself relevant for future campaigns.

[elgordo38]

Hollande Lite

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

European politics seem to be in a state of turmoil right now, what with the Brexit result, the Italian situation and now this French upheaval plus the German elections due next year.  Coupled with Italy's and Spain's economic problems plus the long-standing ones of Greece and the depreciation of the Euro, I wonder if we are witnessing the beginning of the end ot the great European experiment? 

 

Maybe so. But throughout Europe and seemingly in the US too people, the massive often too quiet majority are fed up with politicians who don't listen to them, want to dictate the future based on their own visions without reference to them, and who push increasingly unpopular and illogical policies on them which they themselves feel are appropriate.

 

All of the pseudo liberal, socialist, left-wing parties that were elected into running democracies and fought for so long for basic human rights, equality and opportunity have matured into in-ward looking, self-serving,  wanna be rulers for life whose intolerance of any different view has become staggering. The days when these types ignored the will of the people and pushed their own agendas is coming to an end.

What's frightening is that there doesn't seem real, capable, alternatives with sound plans and policies.

[DavidVincent]

1 hour ago, Morch said:

Wonder if he actually believes his chances or simply keeping himself relevant for future campaigns.

Left supporters will not vote for him, right supporters will not vote for him. This guy had nothing to do in the current government and has a really bad reputation in France.

 

[DavidVincent]

9 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Maybe so. But throughout Europe and seemingly in the US too people, the massive often too quiet majority are fed up with politicians who don't listen to them, want to dictate the future based on their own visions without reference to them, and who push increasingly unpopular and illogical policies on them which they themselves feel are appropriate.

 

All of the pseudo liberal, socialist, left-wing parties that were elected into running democracies and fought for so long for basic human rights, equality and opportunity have matured into in-ward looking, self-serving,  wanna be rulers for life whose intolerance of any different view has become staggering. The days when these types ignored the will of the people and pushed their own agendas is coming to an end.

What's frightening is that there doesn't seem real, capable, alternatives with sound plans and policies.

I am afraid the only current guy who is from the traditional "left" is Melanchon...Macron is a liberal who worked for the big banks , therefore will not have any credibility in the eye of the lefties, while Fillon on the right side of the chessboard is a very old fashioned right politician (who will probably win) and will put France in a motion of falling even more with savage privatization, use and abuse of the 49.3 ( a kind of article 44 ). I am quite sure it will be funny/sad to watch!