The now Senate President, José Luis Dalmau, made public that he had talks with members of the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC) to discuss their positions for the new four-year period leading up to the vote where he was ratified as President of the legislative body and indicated that Manuel Natal met him to negotiate votes for his presidency.
“I met Ana Rima Rivera Lassen and Rafael Bernabe weeks ago. I spoke to them about promoting the participation of all parties, recognizing the spokespersons, I sat them all in the front row, as they deserve to be, I go promote the process of the measures, participate in the committees, and after they told all of them that they said they would not participate. That they would not vote in return for nothing, ”said Dalmau on Aníbal Acevedo Vilá’s podcast.
In the interview, the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) senator and now Senate President indicated that the former representative and one of the MVC leaders asked him to meet, which she along with Senator Ana Irma Rivera Lassen and Senator Rafael. Bernabe who discussed various topics to find out Dalmau’s views.
Later on, Manuel Natal asked me for an appointment, and as a representative, that was in December, that was December, I accepted the invitation to my office, I met him, I explained the same thing I just said, that I have told the parties, I didn’t ask anyone for the vote. I did not jeopardize the vote in return for nothing I just offered them opening, and they said publicly that they weren’t available for anything. However last Saturday Manuel Natal called me and told me they wanted to know what my views were on some issues and I told him the same thing I am saying to you and I have told the people of Puerto Rico open to their consideration of the measures and that I guarantee the process. On Sunday I met with both Ana Irma Rivera Lassen and Rafael Bernabe, and they brought me their proposals, I didn’t call them to negotiate anything, they called me to see how I feel about their proposals and I told them the same, I am one vote Hannibal, although I chair the Senate, I am one vote, we have to convince others to reach 14, which is the absolute majority required by the constitution to pass a measure, ”explained Dalmau .
Dalmau’s utterances stem from Manuel Natal’s comments on social networks where he criticized the alliance between the Dignity Project and the PPD. Senator Joanne Rodríguez Veve voted for José Luis Dalmau.
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However, the President of the Senate has repeatedly emphasized in the interview that he did not negotiate votes with any of the members of the legislature.
When he (Manuel Natal) said in public that I did not want to negotiate, I did not offer anything to anyone. I let people vote as they wanted, and I respect if they didn’t want to vote, if you didn’t want to participate, I respect when they voted against me, this is a democracy.
On the other hand, Dalmau assured that he offered to chair committees to the Senator of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, María de Lourdes Santiago, and to the MVC senators, but these proposals were rejected.