Valls says Barcelona mayor 'represents narcoflats'

Barcelona's mayoral candidate Manuel Valls has accused current mayor Ada Colau of representing "narcoflats and illegal street sellers."

In a press conference on Monday, the former French Prime Minister blamed Colau for "degrading" the Catalan capital, making it more "unsafe."

His comments came as 700 police officers arrested around 50 people in several locations in Barcelona's Raval district in a big anti-drugs operation.

The raids started in the early morning, after a two-year investigation into the issue, and after neighbors have been complaining for months about empty apartments being used to sell drugs.

Valls said that he wants to become mayor to "put an end to this unbearable image" of Barcelona. 

The mayoral candidate said the political situation in Catalonia, and especially the push for independence, have also affected the reputation of its capital. "If the city continues to be linked to the independence process it could fall into a hole it won't be able to get out of for generations," he said.

Manuel Valls said he will form a "progressive" electoral list that will "respect the laws" and exclude "sectarianism." "I want a powerful team to manage the city," he said during a press conference, where he also insisted that he will stay in Barcelona as a local councilor if he doesn't win the mayor's office.