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Héctor Ferrer wins the PDP presidency

By on February 26, 2017

BARCELONETA — Former Popular Democratic Party (PDP) House Majority Whip Héctor Ferrer won the party’s presidency with 308 votes against former governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, who garnered 156 votes.

The other victorious officials are: Caguas mayor William Miranda Torres as the Governing Board’s member-at-large; Guayama mayor Eduardo Cintrón to represent the Guayama district; Carolina mayor José Carlos Aponte Dalmau to represent the Carolina district; and San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz for the PDP vice presidency, for which she ran unopposed.

Héctor Ferrer accepts his victory as PDP president in Feb. 26, 2017. (Ismael Torres/CB)

Héctor Ferrer accepts his victory as PDP president in Feb. 26, 2017. (Ismael Torres/CB)

For his part, former gubernatorial candidate and exiting president David Bernier, who coordinated labors in the General Council, didn’t hesitate to scrutinize the sociopolitical and economic policies of the New Progressive Party (NPP) and Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.

Bernier also took the opportunity to thank the thousands of PDP supporters who backed him during his gubernatorial bid, saying that he “accepted the difficult challenge, fighting hard battles, with good people.” He added that “if anybody felt like I offended or failed you, I offer my apologies.”

The former president thanked his successor, who ran along him for resident commissioner, title he lost to NPP leader Jenniffer González. He emphasized that, amid growing controversy stirred by the June 11 political-status plebiscite –which excludes the commonwealth from the ballots and have lead some to criticize the PDP ideology as obsolete–, the party must prevail as a political option, “as a unifying entity for all sectors.”

See also: Face-off between Ferrer and Acevedo Vilá for PDP presidency

He also made special mention of former House Speaker Jaime Perelló, whom he greeted in the assembly, despite tension between the two. During his electoral bid, Bernier unsuccessfully requested Perelló to resign his reelection campaign after he was associated to the political corruption case orchestrated by former PDP fundraiser Anaudi Hernández Pérez.

The mayor of Barceloneta, Wanda Soler, welcomed attendees in her municipality’s Ernesto Ramos Antonini theater, and emphasized the need to work arduously to retake Puerto Rico’s leadership.

Marimar Benítez, sister of former Sen. Celeste Benítez -to whom the assembly was dedicated- thanked the acknowledgement and excused her absence, caused by health complications.

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