Socialist French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is to announce later on Monday that he will run for president in next year’s election, France 24 reported.

Valls’ office issued a statement that he would make a declaration at 1730 GMT at the town hall in Evry, just south of Paris, but it gave no further details.

His expected announcement follows a primary ballot in which Francois Fillon, a 62-year-old former prime minister, secured a resounding win to become the presidential candidate of the centre-right Les Republicains party.

France’s presidential election takes place in two rounds next April and May.

Source: MENA