French Ex-PM Valls to Back Independent Hopeful Macron in Presidential Election

Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Wednesday he would vote for independent presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron in the upcoming presidential election in France.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Valls from the Socialist Party was defeated by his party fellow and former Education Minister Benoit Hamon in the second round of primaries, which took place in January.

"Yes, I believe we should not assume any risk for the republic. I will vote for Emmanuel Macron," Valls told the BFMTV broadcaster, answering a question on whether or not he would support Macron.

According to the latest poll by Ifop, 22.5 percent of respondents are ready to support him in the first round of the election. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen's support stands at 25 percent. A total of 17.5 percent will vote for Republicans' nominee Francois Fillon, while Hamon will get 10.5 percent in the first round. Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of left-wing political movement La France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France), will get 14 percent of votes, the survey's results showed on Tuesday.

The first round of the French presidential election is slated for April 23, while the run-off between the top two contenders is expected to take place on May 7.