The first round of voting for the Parti Socialist candidate in the forthcoming presidential election produced a surprise result with Benoit Hamon topping the poll. Ex-Prime Minister Manuel Valls came second, 5% points behind with 31%.
A former Education Minister, Hamon is a Breton and significantly to the left of Valls. As such he is likely to appeal to the supporters of third placed Arnaud Montebourg and is clear favourite to win the nomination.
Most controversial proposals include that of introducing a universal income - rising to over 700 euros per person regardless of income, repealing the labour laws introduced by Valls, removing France's dependence on nuclear power and diesel fuel by 2035.
Centrists will point out that Hamon is well behind in the polls with Emmanuel Macron and even Melenchon likely to out-vote him in the presidential elections. Valls has more support in the country, but clearly damaged by his association with Hollande's government.
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