The EEC will inspect the minutes for the election of the mayor of Guánica

Guánica’s mayoral race could gain some clarity on Monday, when the state election commission (CEE) scrutinizes the minutes of the event and, in accordance with a ruling by Judge Anthony Cuevas Ramos, grants certain votes in favor of the independent candidate. Edgardo Cruz Velez.

However, the election representative of the popular Southern City Council candidate Lind Merle Feliciano argued that even if the totality of the votes registered by direct nomination were to be awarded to Cruz Vélez, Ismael “Titi” Rodríguez Ramos still prevailed would have as the new mayor. , with the penepé Santos Seda being discontinued.

“Even if you give him 100% of the votes by direct nomination, the number does not exceed Tití Rodríguez‘Said Merle Feliciano.

Rodríguez Ramos was provisionally certified as Mayor of Guánica, which has given him the right to start the transition process with the Seda team.

The EEC has awarded Rodríguez Ramos 2,386 votes and counted 100% of the schools. Meanwhile, the agency’s website does not list a single vote for Cruz Vélez, although 2,362 appear in the voting box for direct nomination.

In recent days, Cuevas Ramos decided on Thursday that all votes that could be related to the figure of Cruz Vélez, including several variants of his name, should be awarded in his favor, even if the voter has not made a mark in the box indicated in the mood. He stated, however, that a request from Cruz Vélez to subtract the votes awarded in the mixed modality from the other candidates.

Cruz Vélez argued that granting those votes is against the text of the new electoral law, but the magistrate decided that this controversy is not part of an EEC resolution that Cruz Vélez wanted to challenge in court.

“In the present case, we must break away from a textual interpretation so that the voter’s intention prevails. Direct nomination voting is distinguished from other types of votes because it requires the voter to write the name of a person who is not a candidate to be cast. The essence of this type of vote is the nominee’s name, so its validity cannot depend on whether or not he has a brand next to him, ”said Cuevas Ramos in his sentence.

However, Merle Feliciano indicated that Rodríguez Ramos should soon be certified as Mayor of Guánica.

“After the minutes of the 14 units of the Guánica 48 district have been verified, as it is not a recount, the number of those votes (awarded to Cruz Vélez) will make no difference in the final result. The mistake was to point out that the 2,362 matched Edgardo Cruz and that was not what the EEC stated, “Merle Feliciano told El Nuevo Día.” Monday we will coordinate to verify the minutes, ”he added.