He High Council decided by a 6-2 majority to reject the request for certification submitted by the Mayor of San Juan, Miguel Romero, to appeal the election by the candidate of the Citizen Victory Movement, Manuel Natal.
Romero, from New progressive party, sought the highest forum to determine that Natal had failed to meet the conditions of the electoral code for the corresponding location and thus to decline the challenge filed on January 14 without commenting on the merits.
“The request for certification within the jurisdiction and the urgent motion to end the proceedings before the Court of First Instance filed by the petitioner Miguel A. Romero Lugo, there is no place for both,” the Supreme Court resolution dictates. .
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Natal, who publicly pointed out that Romero was “hiding” to avoid being sued, has stated that he has complied with all corresponding procedural procedures so that the case is handled on its merits.
The litigation case is attended by the judge in the San Juan District Court Anthony Cuevas.
In the resolution of the Supreme Court, the examining magistrate Edgardo Rivera Garcia uttered a dissenting expression, accompanied by the judge Mildred Pabón Charneco.
“I believe that given the importance of this issue and the public interest pervading the controversy before us, and the statement about the lack of jurisdiction, would have provided Ha Lugar y. explained himself. While we certainly recognize that the controversy is procedural in nature, I think it raises a new problem and deserves the first final verdict. In addition, we believe that this is a matter worthy of urgency, as it is imperative that this Court act to provide certainty as to the process affecting State Electoral Commission certified officials who are already holding positions in the positions for which they were appointed. chosen, ”said Rivera García.
The Natal Challenge states, in short, that there are 6,593 “illegal” municipal votes for early and absent votes, either because the number is greater than the total number of voters in these modalities because they have no tract in the minutes or because they are from the typical fold of ballots that are put in an envelope.
Natal lost the election by 3,465 votes, being unit 77 – where the majority of the early voting mechanisms in each district are counted – decisive for the result. The former representative requested, as a remedy, a new election among the voters of that unit.
The Barranquitas candidate gives up
On the other hand, Luis Daniel Colon Santos, who was aiming for the Mayor of Barranquitas for the People’s Democratic Party, withdrew from the challenge he had presented against the winner of the election, the new progressive Elliot Colon Blanco.
“Given the motion filed by the plaintiff on the notice of withdrawal, this court declares Ha Lugar. As a result, a revocation decision is issued ”, Judge Cuevas said.
According to the portal of the State Election CommissionColón Blanco retained the mayorship of Barranquilla with 165 votes from Colón Santos.