France: Benoit Hamon wins vote to be Socialist presidential candidate
(about 2 hours later)
Voters have been heading to the polls in France to select the governing Socialist Party's presidential candidate.
Benoit Hamon will be the French Socialist Party's candidate in the presidential elections in April, after winning a run-off vote on Sunday.
Manuel Valls, a former prime minister, and ex-education minister Benoit Hamon are both contesting the run-off.
The ex-education minister beat Manuel Valls, a former prime minister.
Mr Hamon is expected to win, but the party is not predicted to perform well in April's general election.
The Socialists are not expected to do well in the poll. Outgoing President Francois Hollande, a fellow Socialist, has very low approval rating.
The outgoing President Francois Hollande, a fellow Socialist, has a very low approval rating.
Conservative Francois Fillon, right-wing Marine Le Pen, and centrist Emmanuel Macron lead the polls.
Conservative Francois Fillon, right-wing Marine Le Pen, and centrist Emmanuel Macron lead the polls for the presidency.
Organisers said more than half a million people had voted by midday, up from around 400,000 in last week's first round.
Anyone can vote in the primary, not just party members.
However, there have been reports of mismanagement, with one reporter from news site Buzzfeed saying she had been allowed to vote four times in this second round. (She said she voided her ballot so as not to affect the outcome.)
Journalists from Le Monde newspaper also claimed they were permitted to vote more than once in the first round.
Mr Hamon, 49, has experienced a surge in popularity from a range of progressive proposals, including a proposal for a universal monthly income for all citizens.
Mr Valls, however, contends that his experience as prime minister between 2014 and 2016, as well as his previous ministerial experience, make him a superior candidate.
Both emerged from a seven-way primary last weekend to enter the run-off race.
The presidential race has taken a turn in recent days, with the favourite for the post, Francois Fillon, becoming embroiled in a controversy over payments to his wife for political work - which a French publication claimed there was no evidence she carried out.
Mr Fillon denies the allegations, and said he would drop out of the race if there was enough evidence to launch an investigation.
On Sunday, Mr and Mrs Fillon were side by side at a Paris rally that sought to reinvigorate his candidacy.
"Leave my wife out of the political debate!" he said in his speech, provoking rousing applause from supporters.
Mr Fillon's scandal could potentially be a boost for Marine Le Pen, the anti-immigration hardliner who has pledged to put "native" French people first.
For years, France's established parties have drifted to the centre ground and voter apathy has grown - which may explain the emergence of Mr Hamon as a contender in Sunday's Socialist primary.
If he wins, the main left-wing party will once again embrace its traditional positions on workers' rights, redistribution, civil liberties and the environment.
That would likely affect the other candidates - potentially diverting centrist votes to liberal former banker Emmanuel Macron, whose growing popularity is starting to worry Marine Le Pen's party, the National Front.
