French Ex-Prime Minister Valls To Run For Barcelona Mayor

France's former Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday announced he would run in the mayoral race next May in his Spanish home city of Barcelona.

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2018) France's former Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday announced he would run in the mayoral race next May in his Spanish home city of Barcelona.

"Yes, I want to be the next mayor of Barcelona. The decision is up to the Barcelonans," he said in a speech at the Center of Contemporary Culture in the main city of Catalonia.

Valls, who represents the department of Essonne in the French parliament, promised to stand down next week. He added he would run as an independent and proposed to create a civic platform.

The 56-year-old complained about a rising burden of tourism and lack of security in the streets of Barcelona. Better management and putting the city first are a way forward, he said.