Manuel Valls

prime minister of France

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July 21, 2026

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Manuel Valls served as the Prime Minister of France from 2014 to 2016 under President François Hollande. A member of the Socialist Party, Valls was appointed to the position in April 2014, following a significant defeat for the Socialists in local elections. His appointment was seen as an attempt by Hollande to shift the government's direction towards the center.1

Before becoming Prime Minister, Valls held the position of Minister of the Interior. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by efforts to implement economic reforms, which sometimes faced resistance within his own party. He also led the country through significant events, including terrorist attacks in Paris. Valls resigned as Prime Minister in December 2016 to pursue the Socialist nomination for the presidency.21

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France
The Hollande administration
Days later, Hollande’s prime minister, Manuel Valls, resigned his post and declared his intention to pursue the Socialist nomination for the presidency. The presidential race had already experienced one surprise, when the Republicans (formerly the UMP) resoundingly closed the door on Nicolas Sarkozy’s political comeback ambitions. Sarkozy finished a distant…
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Days later, Hollande’s prime minister, Manuel Valls, resigned his post and declared his intention to pursue the Socialist nomination for the presidency. The presidential race had already experienced one surprise, when the Republicans (formerly the UMP) resoundingly closed the door on Nicolas Sarkozy’s political comeback ambitions. Sarkozy finished a distant…
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François Hollande
Presidency
…Jean-Marc Ayrault with interior minister Manuel Valls. French voters continued to express their dissatisfaction with Hollande in May 2014, when the Socialists finished a distant third behind the National Front and the UMP in European Union parliamentary elections. Valls characterized the result as an “earthquake,” an expression of staunch Euroskepticism…
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…Jean-Marc Ayrault with interior minister Manuel Valls. French voters continued to express their dissatisfaction with Hollande in May 2014, when the Socialists finished a distant third behind the National Front and the UMP in European Union parliamentary elections. Valls characterized the result as an “earthquake,” an expression of staunch Euroskepticism…
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Emmanuel Macron
Early life and start in politics
In February 2015 Prime Minister Manuel Valls was forced to invoke Article 49 of the French constitution, a rarely used measure that allows a bill to pass without the consent of parliament on the condition that the government is then subjected to a vote of confidence. Valls easily survived that…
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In February 2015 Prime Minister Manuel Valls was forced to invoke Article 49 of the French constitution, a rarely used measure that allows a bill to pass without the consent of parliament on the condition that the government is then subjected to a vote of confidence. Valls easily survived that…
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