1ST LEAD French prime minister steps down to pursue presidential bid By Jessica Camille Aguirre, dpa

Paris (dpa) - France‘s Manuel Valls stepped down as prime minister on Tuesday to pursue a bid for the presidency in elections next year, leaving the post to be filled by current Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.Cazeneuve has become the face of the fight against terrorism and has played a central role in responding to makeshift migrant camps in northern France. His position will in turn be filled by Socialist lawmaker Bruno Le Roux, the Elysee Palace said. Valls announced Monday that he would step down to seek the presidency as the Socialist Party candidate after the current president, Francois Hollande, said he would not stand for a second term.The 54-year-old former premier, who fiercely defended government projects to overhaul labour regulations and is considered pro-business, said he wanted to mobilize and unite the left as it faces off conservative Francois Fillon and far-right Marine Le Pen.To do so, he will have to convince left-leaning voters to support him in a two-round primary in January, in which he will face off the staunchly left former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg and another former minister, Benoit Hamon.With the appointment of Cazeneuve to prime minister and Le Roux to interior minister, Hollande avoided a more extensive cabinet shake-up in the wake of Valls‘ departure. The former premier said the president had supported his decision to run in 2017.Most other posts in the government remained unchanged, except for two minor ministerial positions.