PARIS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Benoit Hamon, a former Socialist education minister on the left of the party, led in the first round of a primary to pick a Socialist presidential candidate on Sunday, with more moderate ex-prime minister Manuel Valls in second place, partial results showed. Hamon, 48, who was sacked under the government of President Francois Hollande for criticizing his economic policies, had won 35.2 percent of the vote and Valls about 31 percent with just over a third of the total votes counted.
Voting takes place in the first round of the French Socialist Party presidential primary to select a candidate to run in this year's presidential election.