Manuel Valls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Manuel Valls
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Valls in 2025
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| Minister of State Minister of the Overseas |
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| Assumed office 23 December 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | François Bayrou |
| Preceded by | François-Noël Buffet |
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 31 March 2014 – 6 December 2016 |
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| President | François Hollande |
| Preceded by | Jean-Marc Ayrault |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Cazeneuve |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 16 May 2012 – 1 April 2014 |
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| Prime Minister | Jean-Marc Ayrault |
| Preceded by | Claude Guéant |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Cazeneuve |
| Mayor of Évry | |
| In office 18 March 2001 – 24 May 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Christian Olivier |
| Succeeded by | Francis Chouat |
| Member of the National Assembly for Essonne's 1st constituency | |
| In office 19 June 2002 – 3 October 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Jacques Guyard |
| Succeeded by | Francis Chouat |
| Member of the Barcelona City Council | |
| In office 15 June 2019 – 31 August 2021 |
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| Member of the Regional Council of Île-de-France | |
| In office 21 March 1986 – 20 June 2002 |
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| Constituency | Essonne |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Manuel Carlos Valls Galfetti
13 August 1962 Barcelona, Spain |
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| Political party |  FranceLREM/RE (2021–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Children | 4 |
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| Alma mater | Pantheon-Sorbonne University |
Manuel Carlos Valls Galfetti (born August 13, 1962) is a French and Spanish politician. He has held many important jobs in the French government, including Prime Minister of France from 2014 to 2016. He has also been involved in politics in Spain.
Valls was born in Barcelona, Spain, to a Spanish father and a Swiss mother, but he grew up in France. He became a French citizen in 1982. He started his political career as the mayor of a town called Évry and was later elected to the National Assembly of France, which is part of the French parliament.
He is known for being part of the Socialist Party for many years before joining President Emmanuel Macron's party. In December 2024, he was appointed to a top government role as Minister for Overseas France.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Manuel Valls's family has a history in both Spain and France. His grandfather in Spain was the editor of a newspaper. His father, Xavier Valls, was a famous painter from Barcelona who moved to Paris in the 1940s.
In Paris, Xavier met his future wife, Luisangela Galfetti, who was from Switzerland. Manuel was born in Barcelona while his parents were on vacation there. He grew up in France and became a French citizen when he was 20 years old.
Political Career
Starting in Politics
When he was 17, Valls joined the French Socialist Party. He was interested in politics from a young age. While studying history at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University, he was part of a student group that worked for students' rights.
He started his career by working for other politicians. In 1986, he was elected to a regional council near Paris. He later became the mayor of Évry in 2001, a job he held for over 10 years. In 2002, he was elected to the National Assembly of France, representing the area of Essonne.
In 2011, Valls tried to become the Socialist Party's candidate for president but did not get enough votes. He then supported François Hollande, who went on to win the presidential election in 2012.
Working in the Government
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After François Hollande became president in 2012, he made Valls the Minister of the Interior. This job is like being in charge of the country's police and security.
In 2014, President Hollande appointed Valls as the new Prime Minister of France. As prime minister, Valls was the head of the French government. He led the country for over two years.
After a terrible attack in the city of Nice in 2016, Valls said that France would have to learn to live with the threat of terrorism. Some people were upset by his comments.
Running for President and Spanish Politics
In 2016, Valls decided to run for president himself. He left his job as prime minister to enter the Socialist Party's primary election. However, he lost to another candidate, Benoît Hamon. Valls then decided to support Emmanuel Macron instead of the Socialist candidate.
In 2017, Valls was re-elected to the French parliament. He left the Socialist Party and joined the group that supported President Macron.
A year later, in 2018, Valls made a surprising move. He resigned from the French parliament to run for mayor of Barcelona, the city where he was born. He did not win the election but served as a city council member until 2021.
Return to French Politics
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In 2021, Valls announced he was returning to politics in France. He tried to get elected to the French parliament again in 2022 but was not successful.
However, in December 2024, he made a comeback to the top level of government. He was appointed as the Minister in charge of Overseas France, which includes territories like Mayotte and La Réunion. He was also given the title of Minister of State, a high-ranking position.
Political Beliefs
Valls is often seen as being on the more moderate, or centrist, side of the Socialist Party. He has said he wants to be "economically realistic" and believes in giving people the tools to succeed on their own.
- Immigration: Valls has had strong views on immigration. As Minister of the Interior, he was involved in decisions about who could stay in France.
- Religion and Society: He is a strong supporter of French secularism, which is the idea that religion and government should be separate. He has taken firm positions on this issue throughout his career.
- Security: After several terrorist attacks in France, Valls has spoken about the need for the country to be strong and united against these threats.
Personal Life
Manuel Valls has been married three times. He has four children from his first marriage. In 2010, he married Anne Gravoin, a talented violinist. They later separated, and in 2019, he married Susana Gallardo.
Because of his family background, Valls can speak French, Spanish, Catalan, and Italian.
Images for kids
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Valls with Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković in Paris.
