Hernández Rivera: PDP has better image than NPP, polls say

The Popular Democratic Party approved its new bylaws by voice vote on Sunday during the bylaws assembly held in Coamo.

By THE STAR STAFF

Popular Democratic Party (PDP) President Pablo José Hernández Rivera said polls show the PDP has a better image than Puerto Rico’s governing party.

“They’re afraid of us. I know they’re afraid of us because they also conduct polls … because the political party with the best reputation in Puerto Rico is called the Popular Democratic Party,” Hernández Rivera said during Sunday’s assembly to approve party bylaws. “Today I can tell you that the only party that has improved its standing in the last year is called the Popular Democratic Party. People want a different party, and we are becoming a different party.”

The mayors of Loíza and Vega Baja, Julia Nazario Fuentes and Marcos Cruz Molina, respectively, spoke after attending the PDP Rules Assembly, held Sunday at the Coamo Convention Center.

“The dynamic was very positive in the sense that our president, Pablo José Hernández Rivera, proposed a Popular Refoundation, and the work is being carried out at all levels, in an organized and strategic way,” Nazario Fuentes said. “I saw great enthusiasm and popular support from all over Puerto Rico.”

Cruz Molina emphasized that “once again, the Popular Democratic Party is setting a standard for generating broad and inclusive processes.”

“As our colleague Héctor Luis Acevedo rightly said, we must learn the lessons of the elections, and we have undoubtedly learned,” the Vega Baja mayor said. “We are on the path to a more agile and strengthened party. Now the General Assembly is expanding, and the Refoundation is on the right track.”

The mayors added that the island requires a genuine commitment to service. During the event, the PDP president noted that the refoundation proposes a new structure, a new philosophy, to achieve new leadership. Nazario Fuentes noted that “here’s the message: the PDP is changing; if it changes itself, it can change Puerto Rico.”

Regarding the PDP bylaws document, Cruz Molina agreed that it had 145 topics and was narrowed down to 37, “improving the way it is presented, in accordance with new realities,” he said.

“It is a new bylaw that was presented two weeks ago, discussed in a virtual meeting, and widely discussed in the press,” he said.

New bylaws approved

The party approved its new bylaws by voice vote on Sunday during the bylaws assembly held in Coamo.

“The approval of these bylaws demonstrates that we are going to change the PDP to change Puerto Rico,” Hernández Rivera said in a written statement. “With this, we also officially begin the reorganization process, which is divided into three areas: one for municipalities with mayors, another for municipalities without mayors, and a special mechanism for San Juan.”

Four new amendments were approved at the assembly: increasing the age requirement for membership in the Popular Youth to 35, eliminating the prohibition that prevents presidents of PDP organizations from running for elected office, eliminating the prohibition on incumbent elected officials holding the presidency or vice presidency of PDP organizations, and modifying the method for electing the representative of the Municipal Legislators Association to the party’s governing board.

“The new structure is designed to serve the party, and the party is here to serve the people,” PDP Secretary General Manuel Calderón Cerame said.

“This is a new beginning for the party and for Puerto Rico, spearheaded by our party president and resident commissioner in Washington, Pablo José Hernández Rivera,” he said. “A clear, concise, and focused set of bylaws will ensure that the structure functions effectively for the benefit of the country. If the PDP changes, the country will change as well by 2028. We are the only alternative for defeating the chaos and mismanagement of the New Progressive Party government.

Hernández Rivera and Calderón Cerame both thanked the architect of the party’s revitalization, Aguada Mayor Christian Cortés Feliciano, as well as the members of the Amendments Committee, for drafting the approved bylaws.