Paris (AFP) January 29, 2017 – France’s divided Socialists picked left winger Benoit Hamon as their presidential nominee Sunday, in the latest twist of a roller-coaster election race that has seen conservative frontrunner Francois Fillon engulfed in scandal.
Results from a Socialist primary runoff vote Sunday showed Hamon beating his centrist rival Manuel Valls with 58.65 percent of the vote in a clear victory for the left-wing of the party.
“Our country needs the left but a modern, innovative left turned towards the future,” the 49-year-old told cheering supporters in a victory speech.
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Hamon’s rivals include rightwing Republicans nominee Fillon, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, as well as centrist Emmanuel Macron who some analysts see as likely to benefit from the Socialists’ tilt to the left.