Manuel Valls, a tough-talker with French presidential ambitions

[WorldNews]

By Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls faces an uphill battle to unite his Socialist Party and overcome his government's deep unpopularity as he prepares to throw his hat into the ring for next year's presidential election. The 54-year-old is expected to announce on Monday that he is a candidate for January's primary to choose the Socialist nominee, after President Francois Hollande said he would not seek a new term. Within the party, the tough-talking centrist must win over left-wingers suspicious of his pro-business stance, and with the wider electorate, he would have to overcome the unpopularity of Hollande, whose poll ratings have sunk to as low as 4 percent.

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