Manuel Carlos Valls (born 13 August 1962 in Barcelona) is a politician best known for serving as Prime Minister of France from 31 March 2014 to December 2016. Born to a Swiss mother and the Spanish painter Xavier Valls, he later became a French national and built a career in French national and local politics.
Valls rose through the ranks of the Socialist Party and held a range of elected and ministerial posts. He became a national figure for his emphasis on public order, secularism and economic reforms intended to modernize France's labor market. His approach combined traditional centre-left social concerns with comparatively firm positions on security and immigration.
Key offices
- Prime Minister of France (31 March 2014–December 2016)
- Minister of the Interior (2012–2014)
- Longstanding member of the National Assembly and of local government bodies
During his period as Prime Minister, Valls led initiatives on labour law changes and steered government responses to several major security crises. Those policies provoked both support and intense protests: supporters praised his decisiveness, while critics accused him of moving rightward on civil liberties and economic policy.
After leaving the premiership he remained an active political figure. He participated in internal party contests, later distanced himself from elements of his former party, and in subsequent years engaged in political activity that connected him again with Barcelona and Catalan civic life.
Valls is frequently described as a pragmatic and polarising politician. He speaks multiple languages and is often noted for his bicultural background and for being the son of a well-known painter. For further reading and official profiles, see official biography, a government archive at government page, a major press profile at news profile, an interview collection at interview page, and a political analysis resource at analysis page.