The former Prime Minister of François Hollande will seek a new parliamentary mandate under the LREM banner in the constituency of French people living abroad for Spain, Portugal, Monaco and Andorra.
This is the story of a (political) migration that never ends. And a host family not too careful about the zigzags of recent years. Manuel Valls will finally be a candidate for the next French legislative elections under the banner of the Macronist majority.
The one who in five years has gone from deputy for Essonne to municipal councilor of Barcelona, his hometown, before dropping everything to become a columnist on BFMTV will seek a new parliamentary mandate in the fifth constituency of French people living abroad, which includes Spain, Portugal, Monaco and Andorra. Obviously Stéphane Vojetta, the outgoing deputy was not aware of the desires of the one who wants to replace him.
Not that I know….
— Stephane Vojetta (@StephaneVojetta) May 3, 2022
“I really like Manuel. I’m not unhappy that he’s coming back, but I admit it feels a little weirdcomments a Macronist MP after the announcement, by many media, of this political return. It smells of the guy who comes back because he gets pissed off.
“I am the modest worker of cathedrals who patiently, stubbornly builds something concrete”explained Manuel Valls during the socialist presidential primary of 2017, paraphrasing his idol, Clemenceau, before bowing to Benoît Hamon.
The former Prime Minister, who has been squatting on TV sets since the start of the year to promote his latest book Not a drop of French blood then to comment on the presidential streak in France, will try to succeed LREM MP Samantha Cazebonne, elected in 2017 before seeing her election canceled due to too small a difference in votes.
She was re-elected in 2018 with a much less flamboyant score against a candidate supported by all left-wing parties. Having become a senator for French people living abroad in 2021, her constituency had since been in the hands of her deputy, Stéphane Vojetta.
At the beginning of March, Manuel Valls, who was socialist mayor of Evry for more than ten years, had called to vote for Emmanuel Macron who was not yet officially a candidate for re-election. He showed his support “responsibility and requirement”.
In December 2018, during the presentation of his project to become mayor of Barcelona, Manuel Valls said that in case of failure he would give up politics. He had finally resigned from his post as municipal councilor in August 2021. After his Catalan adventure, he could find a post in June straddling his native country and the one where he climbed all the levels of the Republic, from Essonne to Matignon. .
Update at 8:30 p.m. with the reaction of outgoing deputy Stéphane Vojetta.