Hernández Rivera should be PDP president, says ex-mayor of Ponce

Pablo José Hernández Rivera, Puerto Rico’s next resident commissioner in Washington, D.C.

By The Star Staff

Following Pablo José Hernández Rivera’s victory in the race for resident commissioner, former Ponce Mayor Francisco “Ico” Zayas Seijo said Thursday that the leadership of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) should certify him as the new PDP president.

With 91.35% of the polling stations reported, Hernández had 472,292 votes, taking the victory with 44.55%. His running mate, Rep. Jesús Manuel Ortiz González, the PDP president, came in third in the race for governor.

“That doesn’t need to be said,” Zayas Seijo said when asked during a radio interview if Hernández Rivera should become the new president of the party. “I think it’s already done. I think it’s already done.”

Hernández Rivera has said he will focus on his job as resident commissioner and is not interested in a future gubernatorial race.

Zayas Seijo also stressed that Rep. Héctor Ferrer Santiago and Villalba Mayor Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz – who won an at-large seat in the island Senate – should occupy leadership positions in the legislative bodies.

“The mayor of Villalba should become the spokesman for the minority in the Senate and Héctor Ferrer the spokesman for the minority in the House [of Representatives],” the former mayor said.

Regarding the results of the governor’s race, Zayas Seijo, who was mayor of Ponce from 2005 to 2009, stressed that the fear of independence caused many PDP members to vote for the New Progressive Party candidate for governor, Jenniffer González Colón.

“There is a fear of independence and that fear led them to vote for Jenniffer,” he said.