Manuel Valls

Manuel Valls (born 13 August 1962) is a Spanish-born French politician who holds dual French and Spanish citizenship and served as Prime Minister of France from 31 March 2014 to 6 December 2016. Initially affiliated with the Socialist Party, where he represented its more reformist wing, Valls later distanced himself from the party in 2017 to support Emmanuel Macron's centrist movement, reflecting his pragmatic approach to governance amid France's political fragmentation. As of 2025, he holds the position of Minister Delegate for Overseas France, appointed in December 2024 under Prime Minister François Bayrou, focusing on managing tensions in territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

Valls rose through local politics as mayor of Évry from 2001 to 2012, where he emphasized security measures in response to urban challenges, earning a reputation for decisive action on crime and integration issues. Appointed Interior Minister in 2012 by President François Hollande, he implemented policies including the expulsion of irregular migrants and enforcement of secularism, such as supporting bans on religious face coverings, which drew criticism from leftist factions for perceived harshness but aligned with public demands for order following riots and Islamist threats. His tenure as Prime Minister involved pushing economic liberalization and labor reforms via constitutional decree (Article 49.3), bypassing parliamentary opposition, to address France's high unemployment and fiscal deficits, though these efforts contributed to the Socialist Party's electoral decline and his own ouster after regional election losses.