French PM announces candidacy for presidential race

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has publicly announced his candidacy for the left primary in preparation for the 2017 presidential election on Monday in Evry, a commune in the suburb of Paris, proposing "a new path" for "an independent France uncompromising on its values."


"I am a candidate for the presidency of the Republic," Valls told hundreds of his supporters in Evry, four days after President Francois Holland decided not to join 2017 presidential race.

"I have this strength in me, this desire to serve my country ... I want to give everything to France, a country that has given me so much," he said.

The prime minister said he would leave office on Tuesday to focus on his presidential campaign.
 [Xinhua/china.org.cn]

6/12/16