30 Facts About Manuel Valls

Manuel Valls served as Prime Minister of France from 2014 until 2016 under president Francois Hollande and was involved in Spanish politics from 2018 to 2021.

Manuel Valls was mayor of Evry from 2001 to 2012 and was first elected to the National Assembly of France for Essonne in 2002.

Manuel Valls was regarded as belonging to the Socialist Party's social liberal wing, sharing common orientations with Blairism.

Manuel Valls was Minister of the Interior from 2012 to 2014 and Prime Minister from 2014 to 2016.

Manuel Valls was a candidate in the Socialist Party primary for the 2017 French presidential election, losing the Socialist nomination in the second round to Benoit Hamon.

Manuel Valls served as a Barcelona city councillor until 2021.

In 2022, Manuel Valls attempted to return to the French National Assembly as a member of LREM for the fifth constituency for French citizens abroad but was unsuccessful, coming third in the vote.

Manuel Valls was born in Barcelona while his parents were there on holiday.

Manuel Valls grew up with them at their home in France and became naturalized as French.

In 1980, aged 17, Manuel Valls joined the French Socialist Party to support Michel Rocard.

From 1983 to 1986, Manuel Valls was a parliamentary attache for the member for Ardeche, Robert Chapuis.

On 13 June 2009, Manuel Valls announced his intention to run in the Socialist presidential primary in 2011 for the 2012 election.

Manuel Valls was appointed Minister of the Interior in the Ayrault Cabinet in May 2012.

Ahead of the Socialist Party's 2012 convention in Toulouse, Manuel Valls endorsed Harlem Desir as candidate to succeed Martine Aubry at the party's leadership.

Manuel Valls replaced Jean-Marc Ayrault who had resigned earlier that day.

The Manuel Valls Cabinet was formed on 2 April 2014, consisting of 15 ministers from the Socialist Party and two ministers from the Radical Party of the Left.

Manuel Valls left office on 6 December 2016 to run in the 2017 French Socialist Party presidential primary ahead of the 2017 French presidential election.

Manuel Valls was replaced by Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve.

The Socialist Party has started disciplinary proceedings against Manuel Valls, perhaps resulting in his expulsion.

On 25 September 2018, Manuel Valls announced his candidacy in the 2019 election and declared that he was resigning all political responsibilities in France.

Manuel Valls had been critical of the Cs' strategy mastered by party leader Albert Rivera, after the rapprochement of Cs with the far-right Vox, and he later pointed out that "with Vox you end up dirtying your hands and, in some ways, your soul".

In December 2024, Manuel Valls was named minister of Overseas territories and minister of State in Francois Bayrou's government.

Manuel Valls was viewed as on the right wing of the Socialist Party, with a similar approach to the German and Dutch social democratic parties.

In May 2020, the French government was condemned by the Hirtu Case, a case that dates back to 2013 when Manuel Valls was Minister of the Interior of France.

Manuel Valls denied that one could speak of "white privilege" in France, contrasting it with the United States, and claiming that the French Republic had already abolished slavery in 1848 even though France did have a past in colonial history.

Manuel Valls supported the extension of the years of required pension-contribution to 41, as advocated and achieved by the Sarkozy administration.

On 12 October 2009, Manuel Valls expressed "total disagreement" with a proposal by Daniel Vaillant for decriminalisation or legalisation of cannabis.

Manuel Valls said after the 2015 Paris attacks that French society needed a "general mobilisation" against the appeal of "deadly" doctrines.

In 1987, Manuel Valls married Nathalie Soulie, with whom he had 4 children before divorcing.

Manuel Valls met Susana Gallardo in Menorca; in August 2018 they began dating, and they married on 14 September 2019.