Invested by the presidential majority to represent the French abroad, Manuel Valls was eliminated this Sunday in the first round, a new fiasco for the former Prime Minister after the failure of his candidacy for municipal elections in Barcelona.
“ I take note of the results […] If dissent and division have caused confusion, I cannot ignore my score and the fact that my candidacy did not convince “, he said on Twitter, even before the official results were published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “ It is up to me lucidly to draw the consequences. Life is good enough to quietly turn the pages added Manuel Valls.
He then called to block in the second round the candidate of Nupes, Renaud Le Berre, who came first according to his training, in this fifth constituency of French people living abroad, which includes Spain, Portugal, Monaco and Andorra. .
In the evening, Manuel Valls’ Twitter account, all of whose tweets had been deleted, posted a closing message.
Parachuting of the former Prime Minister
The announcement on May 5 of the investiture of the former Prime Minister had the effect of a bomb in this constituency, especially among French people residing in Spain. Stéphane Vojetta, outgoing MP wearing the colors of La République en Marche (LREM), had decided to stand up to this “ parachuting “While promising, if elected, to remain” a loyal support “of Emmanuel Macron.
Indicating on his Twitter account that he had qualified for the second round, he called on the presidential majority on Sunday evening to “ unite behind (one’s) candidacy “.
For these legislative elections, Manuel Valls thought he could rally voters thanks to his CV and his network. “ I want the French to benefit from my experience and my influence, […] in my loud voice “, he hammered. His failure marks a new setback for this former heavyweight of the socialist party who left French political life four years ago to try to conquer in vain in 2019 Barcelona City Hallhis hometown.
Convinced of being able to win These municipal elections, after his failure in 2017 in the socialist primaries for the French presidential election, he only came fourth with around 13% of the vote behind the Catalan independence candidate and the outgoing left-wing mayor Ada Colau who was renewed.
(With AFP)