'Barcelona, European Capital,' name of Valls' ticket for Catalan capital

The former French prime minister, Manuel Valls, will run for mayor of the Catalan capital on a ticket called 'Barcelona, European Capital.'

Valls unveiled the name of his campaign in a press conference a day after announcing he will stand in the local election set for May 26, 2019.

Valls explained that his intention is to go "beyond the borders" of parties, which is why the candidacy name makes reference to Europe.

While Valls is anti-independence and will be running on an explicitly unionist ticket, he also says he wants his candidacy to be far-reaching.

Ciutadans: "Great news for Spanish democrats"

Yet so far, Ciutadans is the only unionist party supporting his ticket, while the Socialists and the People's Party have still not confirmed whether they back him.

The leader of Ciutadans, Albert Rivera, said that with the former French prime minister, the unionists "can win Barcelona again."

"It is great news for Spanish democrats and bad news for separatists and populists," he said.