Former Citizen Victory Movement electoral commissioner joins PDP

Popular Democratic Party President Pablo José Hernández Rivera, left, welcomed former Citizen Victory Movement Electoral Commissioner Olvin Valentín Rivera into the PDP fold on Monday.

By THE STAR STAFF

Popular Democratic Party (PDP) President Pablo José Hernández Rivera announced on Monday that Olvin Valentín Rivera, a former leader of the Citizen Victory Movement, has joined the PDP.

“I am honored that Olvin Valentín, former leader of the Citizen Victory Movement [MVC by its initials in Spanish] and one of the most centrist and moderate minds within that party, is joining the rebuilding of the Popular Democratic Party,” said Hernández Rivera, who also is Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner in the U.S. Congress. “By joining the PDP, Olvin brings with him the spirit of change that inspired many young people to seek alternatives to bipartisanship during the last three elections.”

Valentín Rivera is an attorney and businessman with a diverse background in the private sector, the nonprofit sector, and Puerto Rican politics. In the public sphere, he stood out for his leadership role as the electoral commissioner of the MVC during the 2020 electoral cycle. Beyond his work with the MVC, he has established himself in the media as a political analyst with a moderate style and maintains a strong commitment to cultural initiatives and nonprofit development, promoting multisector dialogue as a tool for social transformation.

Valentín Rivera said his decision stems from an honest assessment of Puerto Rico’s current political moment.

“To create real change -- both in the country and within the parties -- you have to be willing to do it from the inside,” he said. “There comes a time when one has to evaluate where one can contribute most effectively. The PDP is undergoing a process of rebuilding and opening itself up, where changes are being made and concrete actions are being taken. In the honest dialogue we’ve had, I’ve seen that there is space and willingness to sit at the table, bring in different ideas, and work on real solutions for Puerto Rico.”

To the young people and citizens who previously placed their hopes in alternative projects and may now feel disillusioned, Valentín Rivera offered a clear message: “The challenges facing our generation -- and the ones to come -- demand decisive and courageous action. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option.”

“The PDP has stepped forward with new leadership and a renewed way of doing politics, more open to acknowledging past mistakes,” he said. “Today, the PDP -- under Pablo José’s leadership and with changes underway -- is the party with the real capacity to remove the NPP [New Progressive Party] from power and lead Puerto Rico toward good governance.”

Valentín is among several leaders from the MVC, Dignity Project and Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) who have joined the PDP since its reorganization on Feb. 2, 2025. Last year, the PDP announced the affiliation of Ada Ramona Miranda, a former PIP municipal legislator in Salinas; Ramón Román, a former Dignity Project candidate for House District 17; and Eric Rossner and Yamira Colón, both former MVC candidates in the most recent election.

Hernández Rivera reiterated that Valentín’s addition “is a reflection that the PDP has changed, is growing, and is the only hope for change in 2028.”