Former President of the House of Representatives, José Aponte Hernández, condemned the intention to propose the celebration of a status convention and affirmed that there is already a mandate from the people in favor of a state.
Aponte Hernández’s statements are in response to the proposal by the incoming president of the chamber, Rafael “Tatito” Hernández Montañez, who would promote his intention to hold a convention of selected leaders to resolve the status issue.
The people expressed themselves freely and democratically, choosing to be a state of the American union in a consultation involving all parties, including the Popular Democratic Party defending the ‘no’ option, which did not prevail. In fact, the ‘yes’ to a state received 53 percent of the vote, more than any other candidate for an elective, and by far. Even members of the popular party voted for a state. There is a democratic mandate for a state and we are going to enforce that will on our people. This initiative for a status convention is completely out of the question, ”said the former chairman of the House of Representatives in written statements.
On the other hand, Aponte Hernández pointed out that the PPD majority in the Chamber “is the smallest, in the Senate the PPD does not have a majority and the Executive is in the hands of a PNP governor who respects the wishes of the people and who will enforce. mandate “.
According to the legislature, both Hernández Montañez and the then leadership of the PPD in the Chamber set up a special status committee in 2014 precisely to discuss this issue, which “has never held a single meeting, not even to approve its own regulations. approve. “