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Europe

French left-wing presidential primary: Hamon vs. Valls

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Former French prime minister and candidate in the left-wing primary for the 2017 French presidential election, Manuel Valls, arrives for a meeting in Alfortville, outside Paris, France, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. Former education minister Benoit Hamon will take on former prime minister Manuel Valls in a run-off vote on January 29, 2017, after scoring a surprise win in the first round of a primary seen as a battle for the party's soul. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (The Associated Press)

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    A young boy holds a placard during a meeting of the candidate for the left-wing presidential primaries Benoit Hamon in Lille, Northern France, Friday, Jan. 27, 2017. Manuel Valls, a center-leaning former prime minister who rallied France together after extremist attacks, will confront stalwart Socialist Benoit Hamon in the country's left-wing presidential primary runoff Sunday. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler) (The Associated Press)

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    Former French prime minister and candidate in the left-wing primary for the 2017 French presidential election, Manuel Valls, delivers his speech during a meeting in Alfortville, outside Paris, France, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. Former education minister Benoit Hamon will take on former prime minister Manuel Valls in a run-off vote on January 29, 2017, after scoring a surprise win in the first round of a primary seen as a battle for the party's soul. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (The Associated Press)

PARIS – A look at the two candidates competing in Sunday's runoff of France's left-wing presidential primary:

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BENOIT HAMON, 49

Resume: Former education minister, former Socialist Party spokesman who rebelled against President Francois Hollande's shift toward more business-friendly policies in 2014.

Pledges: To give 750 euros ($800) "universal income" gradually to all French adults; to tax robots; to legalize cannabis; to repeal labor measures forced through parliament by his rival, Manuel Valls; recognition of a Palestinian state.

Style: Serious, sober.

Weakness: Inexperience at highest levels.

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MANUEL VALLS, 54

Resume: Spanish immigrant naturalized in France at 20; French interior minister from 2012-2014; prime minister from March 2014 to December 2016. Handled the aftermath of terror attacks in Paris in 2015, won parliamentary approval for emergency powers and counterterrorism measures.

Pledges: Lower taxes for middle-class households; minimum income of 850 euros ($906) for adults with no other revenue; civic service for young people; boost police and defense.

Style: Bossy, experienced.

Weakness: Close association with the unpopular Hollande, who decided not to seek a second term.