After months of speculation, former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday announced his candidature for the mayoral election in Barcelona, the capital of Spain's autonomous region of Catalonia and also the second largest city of the Mediterranean country.

The bid for power by a political leader in another country has prompted curious attention to other such transnational leaders who have wielded power beyond a single national border over the centuries. 

"After a period of serious reflection, I have taken the following decision: I want to be the next mayor of Barcelona," Valls declared on Tuesday, speaking in both Catalan and Spanish language, at an event in Barcelona, where he was born in 1962.

"Since my birth... my relationship with Barcelona has been intimate, constant," added Valls, who holds dual French and Spanish citizenship.

Valls was raised by his Catalan father and Swiss-Italian mother in the French capital of Paris and took French citizenship at the age of 20.

Having joined the French Socialist Party at the age of 17, Valls was elected as the mayor of Evry, a suburban town south of Paris, from 2001 and 2012; and he went on to serve as the prime minister of France from 2014 to 2016.

In recent months, the Socialist leader has increased his involvement in Spanish politics and even campaigned against Catalan separatists who attempted to secede from the country last October.

However, analysts say that Valls will face a tough battle in his bid to oust the incumbent mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, in the municipal elections to be held on May 26 next year.

Colau, a former housing activist, has rejected any threat from the former French prime minister.

"He failed in France so he's coming here," Colau told French newspaper Le Parisien.

Jordi Munoz, politics lecturer at the University of Barcelona, contented that Valls' "chances of becoming mayor are slim," as reported by AFP news agency. 

Even though the current European Union (EU) rules allows citizens of the bloc to vote and stand in local elections in other EU states, Valls' decision to join the Barcelona mayoral race is being seen as a unique bid for power by a French politician in another EU country.

Throughout history emperors, kings and other monarchs are known to have reigned over several states simultaneously or separately in different periods. However, even in recent times, there have been several instances of elected political leaders who have held public offices in more than one country.

Simon Bolivar, for instance, served as presidents of Gran Colombia, Bolivia (named after Bolivar) and Peru between 1819 and 1827.

Marthinus Pretorius, known for founding the city of Pretoria, was simultaneously President of both the South African Republic (also known as Transvaal Republic) and the Orange Free State for a short while in 1859.

Lorenzo de Zavala was elected to various offices in the First Mexican Republic before becoming the Vice President of Texas in 1836.

Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias, considered the founder of modern Greek state, was the foreign minister of Russia from 1816 to 1822 before he became the first head of state of independent Greece (1828-31).

Closer in history, Mikheil Saakashvili was the third president of Georgia and served two terms between 2004 and 2013 before being appointed as the governor of Ukraine's Odessa Oblast (2015-1016).

Daniel Cohn-Bendit was elected as a member of the European Parliament from both Germany and France (2004-2014).

Gerry Adams, a Teachta Dala (member of the Irish Parliament) since 2011, has previously served two terms as an MP of the British Parliament (1983-92, 1997-2011) and simultaneously as a member of the legislative assembly in Northern Ireland, UK (1998-2010).

Muhamman Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan who also served as the country's first Governor-General until his death (1947-48), was a prominent political leader in British India where he was a member of Indian National Congress before launching his own party, the All India Muslim League in 1913.

These are just a few leaders who were able to exercise their influence in more than one country. The verdict in Barcelona's municipal election next May will decide if Valls gets the chance to add his name in the list of transnational political leaders.

(Cover: A collage of various international political leaders who have held public offices in more than one country. From left, clockwise: Simon Bolivar, Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias, Lorenzo de Zavala, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Marthinus Pretorius, Mikheil Saakashvili and Gerry Adams. /CGTN Photo)