? Ruben Blades halts salsa tours, eyes presidency

MULTIPLE  GRAMMY winner salsa star and Hollywood actor  Rubén Blades says  that he has decided to renounce musical tours while he considers a second run at Panama’s presidency

The 69-year old  former tourism minister  made the announcement in Madrid on Friday July 14

The press conference in Madrid took place after the publication of an interview in the Spanish newspaper ABC, in which he understood that he said he would renounce live music which reports Spanish media has caused a great stir among his fans.

“I have to organize my time to attend to things that I still have to do. The tours take up too much space. And I no longer enjoy the luxury of having 20 years and believe myself immortal, “Blades told a press conference announcing his farewell tour of Spain.

“I’m not retiring from the world of music,” he said. “There is a time in the lives of all of us when we understand that we have more past than future. That is the time to organize the time we assume will  remain, because there are no guarantees of that.” He plans to run in 2019 as an independent candidate.

Blades was Minister of Tourism between 2004 and 2009 and first took aim at the presidency in 1994, when he was third with 20% of the votes. Now, “the mistrust of political parties

Now, ” With the mistrust that exists towards political parties, everything indicates [that there is] an atmosphere much more welcoming … to the idea of an independent candidate, but that does not mean that it is already decided that I am going to participate. simply when they ask me the question,” he said.