May 09, 2017
PARIS (AP) — French ex-Premier Manuel Valls suggested Tuesday that he wants to abandon France's Socialist party and run in June parliamentary elections under the banner of the president-elect's centrist political movement. But it's not clear if he will be able to do so.
Valls told RTL radio that France's Socialist party "is dead and behind us" and said he wants to join up with President-elect Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move. Valls is planning to run in the Essonne department, his fiefdom south of Paris, but Republic on the Move officials said his nomination won't be automatic.
"Every support to the president is welcome," said Jean-Paul Delevoye, the president of the commission in charge of assessing candidates. "But support doesn't necessarily translate in nomination. His voice is not insignificant, but his candidacy will be treated as anyone else's."
Valls, a center-leaning politician in favor of relaxing labor protections, had already thrown his support behind Macron before the presidential election after losing to Benoit Hamon in the Socialist primary.
Hamon, who gained popularity in recent years by leading a group of rebel Socialist lawmakers who opposed Valls, was a distant fifth in the first round of the presidential election after garnering just over 6 percent of the votes, the Socialist Party's worst result since 1969.
The poor result triggered a fierce debate within the party on the opportunity of sticking to the left platform defended by Hamon, or to switch back to the more centrist views of Valls and his allies. Guillaume Balas, who coordinated Hamon's platform, said Valls "excluded" himself from the party with his allegiance to Macon's movement.
Reflecting on Macron's victory over far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential runoff on Sunday, Valls said it was a blow to populism in Europe that gave a "terrific" image of France abroad. "The old parties are dying, or are already dead," Valls said. "I'm not living with regrets. I want Emmanuel Macron, his government and his majority to succeed, for France. I will be a candidate in the presidential majority and I wish to join up to his movement, the Republic on the Move."
Macron's 577 candidates in the elections are expected to be announced Thursday. Macron has said he was aiming for an absolute majority in the lower chamber in June's elections. If so, he'll be able to choose a prime minister. If another party wins a majority, Macron could be pressured to choose a prime minister from that party, a situation the French call "cohabitation."
If Macron's party performs poorly, he could also be forced to form a coalition, a common occurrence in many European countries but something very unusual in France.
PARIS (AP) — French ex-Premier Manuel Valls suggested Tuesday that he wants to abandon France's Socialist party and run in June parliamentary elections under the banner of the president-elect's centrist political movement. But it's not clear if he will be able to do so.
Valls told RTL radio that France's Socialist party "is dead and behind us" and said he wants to join up with President-elect Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move. Valls is planning to run in the Essonne department, his fiefdom south of Paris, but Republic on the Move officials said his nomination won't be automatic.
"Every support to the president is welcome," said Jean-Paul Delevoye, the president of the commission in charge of assessing candidates. "But support doesn't necessarily translate in nomination. His voice is not insignificant, but his candidacy will be treated as anyone else's."
Valls, a center-leaning politician in favor of relaxing labor protections, had already thrown his support behind Macron before the presidential election after losing to Benoit Hamon in the Socialist primary.
Hamon, who gained popularity in recent years by leading a group of rebel Socialist lawmakers who opposed Valls, was a distant fifth in the first round of the presidential election after garnering just over 6 percent of the votes, the Socialist Party's worst result since 1969.
The poor result triggered a fierce debate within the party on the opportunity of sticking to the left platform defended by Hamon, or to switch back to the more centrist views of Valls and his allies. Guillaume Balas, who coordinated Hamon's platform, said Valls "excluded" himself from the party with his allegiance to Macon's movement.
Reflecting on Macron's victory over far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential runoff on Sunday, Valls said it was a blow to populism in Europe that gave a "terrific" image of France abroad. "The old parties are dying, or are already dead," Valls said. "I'm not living with regrets. I want Emmanuel Macron, his government and his majority to succeed, for France. I will be a candidate in the presidential majority and I wish to join up to his movement, the Republic on the Move."
Macron's 577 candidates in the elections are expected to be announced Thursday. Macron has said he was aiming for an absolute majority in the lower chamber in June's elections. If so, he'll be able to choose a prime minister. If another party wins a majority, Macron could be pressured to choose a prime minister from that party, a situation the French call "cohabitation."
If Macron's party performs poorly, he could also be forced to form a coalition, a common occurrence in many European countries but something very unusual in France.
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