Socialist Manuel Valls is taking on what
he terms "the largest challenge confronting France today" —
the modernization and integration of increasingly disparate sections
of society. To do that, Valls is challenging many sacrosanct French
political tenets with activist proposals to desegregate economically
and ethnically defined banlieue populations and embrace "positive
discrimination" for minority groups.
"Evry presents the essential urban challenges facing France: immigration,
high unemployment, rising crime and deteriorating social relations,"
Valls says. "I'll have time later for higher-profile jobs at the national
level. This is where I need to be now." His unconventional positions
reflect Valls' unusual political route to city hall. Raised in France
by a Spanish father and a Swiss mother, he attained French citizenship
in 1982. Forgoing the finishing schools common to France's political
élite, Valls entered the Socialist Party at ground level, becoming
"a professional politician by engagement, not instruction."
After nearly a decade of work as a party activist and parliamentary
aide, Valls was named adviser to Socialist Premier Michel Rocard in
1990 at the age of 28.
When conservatives gained power in 1993, Valls won a spot on the Socialist
Party's national committee, and in 1997 he directed its savvy communications
campaign during legislative polls that swept the left back into government.
That achievement earned Valls a job as Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's
spokesman and image czar, a post he left last year to become
mayor of Evry, a town outside Paris. That precociously-obtained, hands-on
education may allow Valls to spring rapidly to a national position
once his work in Evry is done.
Season Of The Strike [May 19, 2003]
In spring, France's thoughts turn to walkouts. But this year labor leaders are divided over the wisdom of blocking the government's pension reforms.
Can France Put a Cork In It? [April 28, 2003]
With U.S. boycotts hurting French wine exports, Chirac and winemakers alike are trying to make amends
Speedy's Race Against Crime [Dec. 2, 2002]
'We mustn't scorn those who suffer daily insecurity by accusing them of having become intolerant.'
Mogadishu at 60 Miles an Hour Arms merchants are once again doing brisk business after a rapid change of power in this tough town, but so far the peace has held
The Year of The Nuke A rundown of the world's nuclear powerhouses, and what to expect in the coming months
