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| Valls Puts ‘Identity’ at Center of Barcelona’s Mayor Race | Valls Puts ‘Identity’ at Center of Barcelona’s Mayor Race |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| BARCELONA, Spain — When he was prime minister of France, Manuel Valls was seen as a possible heir to the presidency. His ambitions ran aground when he lost the primary election of the Socialist Party, which imploded under pressure from the insurgent candidacy of Emmanuel Macron, who now inhabits the Élysée Palace. | BARCELONA, Spain — When he was prime minister of France, Manuel Valls was seen as a possible heir to the presidency. His ambitions ran aground when he lost the primary election of the Socialist Party, which imploded under pressure from the insurgent candidacy of Emmanuel Macron, who now inhabits the Élysée Palace. |
| Now, Mr. Valls, 56, is looking for a political comeback, this time as mayor of Barcelona, which votes on Sunday along with the rest of Spain in local elections that could influence the negotiations over a national government. | Now, Mr. Valls, 56, is looking for a political comeback, this time as mayor of Barcelona, which votes on Sunday along with the rest of Spain in local elections that could influence the negotiations over a national government. |
| Mr. Valls’ circuitous route to candidacy in Barcelona, where he was born, has opened him to charges from opponents of being an opportunistic carpetbagger, a political shape-shifter looking for a second life. | Mr. Valls’ circuitous route to candidacy in Barcelona, where he was born, has opened him to charges from opponents of being an opportunistic carpetbagger, a political shape-shifter looking for a second life. |
| Unusually for a politician, Mr. Valls has not entirely run from the characterization. While he has emphasized his connection to Barcelona, the capital of the region of Catalonia, he has embraced his outsider status. | Unusually for a politician, Mr. Valls has not entirely run from the characterization. While he has emphasized his connection to Barcelona, the capital of the region of Catalonia, he has embraced his outsider status. |
| If anything, Mr. Valls, who holds both French and Spanish passports, has promoted himself as a European with a fluid, multitiered sense of identity at a moment of rising nativist impulses and as the identities of the Catalan region, Spain and Europe itself are all in play. | If anything, Mr. Valls, who holds both French and Spanish passports, has promoted himself as a European with a fluid, multitiered sense of identity at a moment of rising nativist impulses and as the identities of the Catalan region, Spain and Europe itself are all in play. |
| “With this candidacy, I want to show that European democracy, especially in the big cities that form such an important part of Europe’s identity, doesn’t need to have borders,” Mr. Valls said in an interview. | “With this candidacy, I want to show that European democracy, especially in the big cities that form such an important part of Europe’s identity, doesn’t need to have borders,” Mr. Valls said in an interview. |
| The Spanish election coincides with the European Parliament elections, which are expected to reward populists and nationalists tearing at the fabric of the Continent’s decades-old project of political and economic unity. | The Spanish election coincides with the European Parliament elections, which are expected to reward populists and nationalists tearing at the fabric of the Continent’s decades-old project of political and economic unity. |
| It also comes less than two years after Catalan separatist parties made an unsuccessful attempt to secede unilaterally from Spain, following an unconstitutional referendum that was marred by clashes between the Spanish police and voters. | It also comes less than two years after Catalan separatist parties made an unsuccessful attempt to secede unilaterally from Spain, following an unconstitutional referendum that was marred by clashes between the Spanish police and voters. |
| In Barcelona, Mr. Valls has walked in late to the middle of the family dinner-table dispute and presented himself almost as an experienced arbiter from the house next door, where the shouting could be heard. | In Barcelona, Mr. Valls has walked in late to the middle of the family dinner-table dispute and presented himself almost as an experienced arbiter from the house next door, where the shouting could be heard. |
| Mr. Valls firmly opposes secessionism. But he made clear that he views the territorial conflict not only through the lens of local politics and its importance for Catalans and Spaniards, but also as something that could affect the fate of all of Europe. | Mr. Valls firmly opposes secessionism. But he made clear that he views the territorial conflict not only through the lens of local politics and its importance for Catalans and Spaniards, but also as something that could affect the fate of all of Europe. |
| “I really don’t know if we will soon get out of this crisis, but it seems clear that if Catalonia succeeded in separating from Spain and hence from the European Union, it could start the falling apart of the European Union,” Mr. Valls said. | “I really don’t know if we will soon get out of this crisis, but it seems clear that if Catalonia succeeded in separating from Spain and hence from the European Union, it could start the falling apart of the European Union,” Mr. Valls said. |
| It is a sign of the deep divisions that linger in Spain that his candidacy has struggled to gain more traction, despite his reputation and name-recognition in politics, at least in France. | It is a sign of the deep divisions that linger in Spain that his candidacy has struggled to gain more traction, despite his reputation and name-recognition in politics, at least in France. |
| After Mr. Macron’s election as president, Mr. Valls won re-election to the French Parliament, but not as one of Mr. Macron’s candidates. He resigned his French parliamentary seat in October, after repeated criticism for his absence from Paris since he started his election bid in Barcelona. | After Mr. Macron’s election as president, Mr. Valls won re-election to the French Parliament, but not as one of Mr. Macron’s candidates. He resigned his French parliamentary seat in October, after repeated criticism for his absence from Paris since he started his election bid in Barcelona. |
| He is running as an independent candidate, but with the support of Ciudadanos, a party that was formed as a bulwark against Catalan separatism. | He is running as an independent candidate, but with the support of Ciudadanos, a party that was formed as a bulwark against Catalan separatism. |
| Mr. Valls was born in Barcelona, but moved to Paris as a child after his Catalan father resettled in Paris to pursue his career as a painter. | Mr. Valls was born in Barcelona, but moved to Paris as a child after his Catalan father resettled in Paris to pursue his career as a painter. |
| In a book Mr. Valls published last year, called “Barcelona, I’m coming home,” he waxed lyrical about speaking Catalan with his parents in Paris while spending summer vacations in Barcelona, walking down the city’s famous Ramblas promenade with his grandparents. | In a book Mr. Valls published last year, called “Barcelona, I’m coming home,” he waxed lyrical about speaking Catalan with his parents in Paris while spending summer vacations in Barcelona, walking down the city’s famous Ramblas promenade with his grandparents. |
| Mr. Valls switched to French citizenship when he was 20, but he reclaimed his Spanish passport just over a year ago. He said he had decided to resettle in Barcelona for “personal reasons” and planned to remain in the city whatever the outcome of the municipal election. | Mr. Valls switched to French citizenship when he was 20, but he reclaimed his Spanish passport just over a year ago. He said he had decided to resettle in Barcelona for “personal reasons” and planned to remain in the city whatever the outcome of the municipal election. |
| Last year, Mr. Valls sent tremors across Barcelona’s city hall when he unexpectedly announced his candidacy. But the most recent opinion polls show Mr. Valls trailing. | Last year, Mr. Valls sent tremors across Barcelona’s city hall when he unexpectedly announced his candidacy. But the most recent opinion polls show Mr. Valls trailing. |
| Instead, the race has shaped up as a tight one between the incumbent far-left mayor, Ada Colau, and Ernest Maragall, the candidate of Esquerra Republicana, a separatist party. | Instead, the race has shaped up as a tight one between the incumbent far-left mayor, Ada Colau, and Ernest Maragall, the candidate of Esquerra Republicana, a separatist party. |
| Esquerra’s leader, Oriol Junqueras, is among the jailed politicians who are facing trial before the Spanish Supreme Court, charged with staging a rebellion during the botched attempt to secede in 2017. | Esquerra’s leader, Oriol Junqueras, is among the jailed politicians who are facing trial before the Spanish Supreme Court, charged with staging a rebellion during the botched attempt to secede in 2017. |
| Ms. Colau has not supported independence, but she has defended the right of Catalans to vote over their future. Mr. Maragall, like his party, remains determined to break from Spain. | |
| Mr. Valls has tried to position himself above the fray. “The debate in Catalonia is not between the right and the left,” he said, “but between those who believe in constitutionalism and those who want independence.” | Mr. Valls has tried to position himself above the fray. “The debate in Catalonia is not between the right and the left,” he said, “but between those who believe in constitutionalism and those who want independence.” |
| During a meeting with foreign correspondents, Mr. Maragall questioned Mr. Valls’s connection to Barcelona and his reliance on a business lobby to finance his candidacy. | During a meeting with foreign correspondents, Mr. Maragall questioned Mr. Valls’s connection to Barcelona and his reliance on a business lobby to finance his candidacy. |
| “Who is Mr. Valls from the perspective of Barcelona?’’ Mr. Maragall said. ‘‘I think we will see the limits of his real relationship to the city.” | “Who is Mr. Valls from the perspective of Barcelona?’’ Mr. Maragall said. ‘‘I think we will see the limits of his real relationship to the city.” |
| Mr. Valls, he added, “looks like he wants to buy Barcelona.” | Mr. Valls, he added, “looks like he wants to buy Barcelona.” |
| Mr. Valls, however, said that “criticizing the elites is the rallying cry of all populists.” He argued that his French track record showed he could connect with residents, even in an unfamiliar setting. | Mr. Valls, however, said that “criticizing the elites is the rallying cry of all populists.” He argued that his French track record showed he could connect with residents, even in an unfamiliar setting. |
| In 2001, Mr. Valls was elected mayor of Évry, a town that was developed in the 1960s on the outskirts of Paris. | In 2001, Mr. Valls was elected mayor of Évry, a town that was developed in the 1960s on the outskirts of Paris. |
| “When I arrived in Évry, I didn’t know the town — while I know Barcelona — but I made every effort to immerse myself in it and connect with the place, and I think the residents of Évry were pleasantly surprised,” he said. | “When I arrived in Évry, I didn’t know the town — while I know Barcelona — but I made every effort to immerse myself in it and connect with the place, and I think the residents of Évry were pleasantly surprised,” he said. |
| “I am an uprooted person — but with roots. I also learned how to be French and embrace the values of the French Republic.” | “I am an uprooted person — but with roots. I also learned how to be French and embrace the values of the French Republic.” |
| Mr. Valls blames Ms. Colau for turning Barcelona into a more chaotic and unsafe city, citing data that shows rising criminality. As a former French interior minister, he has run on a law-and-order agenda that would include the hiring of more policemen and the removal of African vendors who sell mostly counterfeit goods. | Mr. Valls blames Ms. Colau for turning Barcelona into a more chaotic and unsafe city, citing data that shows rising criminality. As a former French interior minister, he has run on a law-and-order agenda that would include the hiring of more policemen and the removal of African vendors who sell mostly counterfeit goods. |
| With opinion polls suggesting that no single party will win an outright majority in Barcelona, Mr. Valls has courted the Socialists as a coalition partner. | With opinion polls suggesting that no single party will win an outright majority in Barcelona, Mr. Valls has courted the Socialists as a coalition partner. |
| Such flexibility has been lacking on the national stage. But it will be tested once again as Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister, embarks in earnest on negotiations to form a new Spanish government after Sunday’s voting. | Such flexibility has been lacking on the national stage. But it will be tested once again as Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister, embarks in earnest on negotiations to form a new Spanish government after Sunday’s voting. |
| Mr. Sánchez won a general election last month, but did not achieve a parliamentary majority, and he hopes that a strong showing for his party on Sunday could increase his leverage. | Mr. Sánchez won a general election last month, but did not achieve a parliamentary majority, and he hopes that a strong showing for his party on Sunday could increase his leverage. |
| So far, Albert Rivera, the national leader of Ciudadanos, has rejected the idea of supporting Mr. Sánchez. | So far, Albert Rivera, the national leader of Ciudadanos, has rejected the idea of supporting Mr. Sánchez. |
| Mr. Valls distanced himself from Mr. Rivera after Ciudadanos agreed to enter a coalition government in the southern region of Andalusia with the support of Vox, a far-right party. | Mr. Valls distanced himself from Mr. Rivera after Ciudadanos agreed to enter a coalition government in the southern region of Andalusia with the support of Vox, a far-right party. |
| “The political game in Spain is of an incredible complexity right now,’’ Mr. Valls said, ‘‘which means you must have a huge capacity to adapt to specific circumstances.” | “The political game in Spain is of an incredible complexity right now,’’ Mr. Valls said, ‘‘which means you must have a huge capacity to adapt to specific circumstances.” |