French socialist primary: ‘utopian’ Hamon or ‘fighter’ Valls?

French socialist primary: 'utopian' Hamon or 'fighter' Valls?

Benoit Hamon (L) shakes the hand of ex-PM Manuel Valls (C). Photo: Bertrand Guay/POOL/AFP France’s Socialists face a stark choice in Sunday’s presidential primary between diehard leftist Benoit Hamon and reformist ex-prime minister Manuel Valls.

Hamon, the surprise winner of the first round of the Socialists’ primary last weekend, has wooed voters with his staunchly leftist proposals, notably the idea of a universal basic income, dismissed as a "mirage" by Valls.

He also wants to legalise marijuana and tax robots that replace workers.The 49-year-old Hamon, round-faced with a schoolboy haircut, has a crowd-pleasing eagerness that contrasts with the square-jawed assertiveness of […]

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