Seven hopefuls file candidacies for empty Guayama Senate seat
By The Star Staff
Seven candidates are aspiring to run for the empty Guayama Senate seat, Popular Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary General Gerardo “Toñito” Cruz Maldonado announced earlier this week.
The seat was left vacant by Gretchen Hau Irizzary, who moved to the House of Representatives.
“The candidacies were officially opened so that anyone interested in becoming a Senator for the Guayama district seat could present a candidacy to the PDP to be certified for the contest,” Cruz Maldonado said. “After the filing process ended, we can report that seven people showed up to submit their candidacy.”
Cruz Maldonado said that as established by party regulations, an applicant qualification commission, made up of eight professionals in various fields, three of them certified public accountants, will be responsible for evaluating, investigating, and determining the qualification or disqualification of the Senate hopefuls.
The candidates that the PDP Applicant Qualifying Commission will evaluate are Ángel Rodríguez Otero, Roberto Colón Sánchez, Juan Figueroa Rodríguez, Carmen González González, Héctor Santiago Torres, Eder Ortiz Ortiz, and Kía Rosario León.
“After the Commission reviews the applicants, the Popular Democratic Party grants an official certification through the General Secretariat,” Cruz Maldonado said. “As we are in a hurry to fill the vacancy in the Senate, this whole process will be done quickly. We plan to complete the certification process between today and tomorrow and conduct the drawing for the positions on the ballot on Wednesday.”
The election will be held this Sunday, June 4 at Leopoldo Sanabria Cruz School of Fine Arts in the Guayama sports complex. It will be held by the assembly of delegates of the Guayama senatorial district, as decided by the PDP governing board.
The secretary general anticipated that some 530 certified delegates from the 15 municipalities that make up the Guayama senatorial district will cast votes in the special election.