Hamon, Valls to vie for French leftwing presidential nod January 23, 2017 - 11:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Leftwing outsider Benoit Hamon will fight former prime minister Manuel Valls for the French Socialist presidential nomination next Sunday, January 29, after winning the first round of the party's primary, AFP reports. Hamon was not considered a serious contender when the campaign began in December but the 49-year-old former education minister put himself in the driving seat with what he called a "message of hope and renewal." With Europe shifting to the right and the deeply unpopular President Francois Hollande ruling himself out, the Socialist primary has been billed as a fight for the party's soul with a left-leaning faction represented by Hamon battling Valls' centrist camp. Hamon, 49, scored over 36 percent with Valls trailing on 31 percent, according to results from around 80 percent of polling stations. Maverick former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg was eliminated with 17 percent and immediately threw his support behind Hamon. Whoever wins the Socialist nomination faces long odds as polls currently show the presidential election coming down to a contest between conservative ex-premier Francois Fillon, far-right leader Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, the 39-year-old former economy minister.  Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
