Former Education Minister Benoît Hamon pulled ahead in the left-wing primary for this year’s French presidential elections Sunday, followed by former Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
Hamon’s unexpected performance, after several polls had showed Valls narrowly winning the first round, underscored the depth of disappointment with President François Hollande’s middle-ground leadership among many left-wing voters. By choosing Hamon, who joined the ranks of rebel Socialist MPs after leaving the government in 2014, supporters signaled a strong desire for change leaning toward a more Jeremy Corbyn-style leftism.
While Valls vowed to carry a “realistic” left-wing platform, Hamon campaigned on a far more idealistic set of proposals, including a universal revenue (progressively introducing a €750 monthly payment “for all”) and legalizing cannabis — both of which were criticized by nearly all of his rivals.
Read more: http://www.politico.eu/article/hamon-and-valls-prevail-in-french-left-wing-primary/
