(6 Dec 2016) French Prime Minister Manuel Valls stepped down Tuesday to focus on running for president in next year's election and was replaced by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, a man who embodies the fight against Islamic extremism.
Valls resigned a day after announcing his candidacy in the wake of French President Francois Hollande's decision not to run for a second term.
He hopes to unite Socialists and give the left a chance to stay at the Elysee Palace despite current opinion polls suggesting the second round of the April-May election could pit Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front, against conservative Francois Fillon.
The 53-year-old Cazeneuve is a close ally of Hollande and became a popular figure as the champion of measures tackling extremism.
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