Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, José Aponte Hernández, condemned the intention to propose a status convention, saying there was already a mandate from the people in favor of statehood.
Aponte Hernández’s remarks respond to the proposal of the new President of the Chamber, Rafael ‘Tatito’ Hernández Montañez, who will advance his intention to organize a convention of selected leaders to resolve the status issue.
“People expressed themselves freely and democratically and chose to be a state of the American Union in a consultation attended by all parties, including the Democratic People’s Party, which defended the ‘no’ option, which did not prevail. In fact, the “yes” to the state won 53 percent of the vote, more than any other candidate for the elective office and by far. Even members of the People’s Party voted for statehood. There is a democratic mandate for statehood and we will apply this will of our people. This initiative of a status convention is completely excluded “, said the former president of the lower house in written expressions.
On the other hand, Aponte Hernández stressed that the PPD majority in the House “is the smallest, in the Senate PPD has no majority and the Executive is in the hands of a PNP governor who respects the wishes of the people and will implement this mandate.”
According to the legislator, in 2014, both Hernández Montañez and the then PPD leadership in the Chamber created a Commission with special status precisely to discuss this issue, which “never held a single meeting, not even to approve its own regulations ”.