Race to the Elysée Palace: Many surprises from the opening round

(Baonghean) - The unexpected victory of right-wing and centrist candidate Francois Fillon, President Francois Hollande not running for a second term, Prime Minister Manuel Valls officially announcing his candidacy... These things show that the race to the Elysée Palace is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

On December 6, Mr. Manuel Valls submitted his resignation as Prime Minister of France to President Francois Hollande after announcing his candidacy for the position of President of France in 2017. Previously, on the afternoon of December 5, in the city of Evry, Mr. Valls officially announced that he had joined the ranks of candidates competing to become the representative of the left in the race for the Elysée Palace. A new government will be formed immediately after Mr. Valls resigns to lead France in the remaining months before the presidential election.

Manuel Valls announced his candidacy for President in the city of Evry, where he was mayor and a member of parliament. Photo: Le Monde

According to many commentators, Prime Minister Valls's candidacy was predictable since President Hollande unexpectedly announced that he would not run for a second term on December 1. It is known that Mr. Hollande is the first incumbent President not to run for re-election since the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1958.

Currently, according to the latest polls of left-wing voters, Mr. Valls is considered one of the most promising candidates among the 7 left-wing candidates and the Socialist Party (PS). Although highly appreciated, Mr. Valls still has to attract more support from other factions within the left wing. Because without the right strategies, Mr. Valls' chances of winning the left-wing elections that will take place on January 22 and 29, 2017 may be threatened.

However, if he becomes the representative of the left, the next challenge for Mr. Valls will still be internal division when the two candidates Jean Luc Melenchon and Emmanuel Macron announced that they will not participate in the left-wing primary election but will directly run for President. This means that the left-wing voters will be seriously divided in the upcoming presidential election in April 2017.

Right-wing candidate Francois Fillon, National Front candidate Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron are currently the favourites to win the election against Valls. However, no one can be sure whether there will be a comeback in the remaining months, as the 2017 Elysée race has been full of unexpected surprises from the start.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde, Le Figaro)