By EFE
Sep 21, 2024, 07:38 AM EDT
San Juan – Judge Raúl Candelario, of the San Juan Court, declared this Friday that there was no grounds for an appeal against the State Election Commission (CEE) to extend the date of the electoral registration, which ends today, Saturday, September 21.
The appeal was filed by the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC) with the aim of extending the deadline in view of the large influx of people who have gone to the registration centres to obtain their electoral card for the elections on 5 November.
The judge indicated in his ruling that the request was made outside the time limit granted by the Electoral Code and that extending the registration period could affect the preparation of the elections.
This ruling confirms the decision issued by the alternate president of the CEE, Jessika Padilla Rivera, on September 17 to reject an extension of the deadline for closing the registration.
However, in view of the movement of voters, the CEE decided to extend the hours of the Permanent Registration Boards and the Temporary Registration Boards.
MVC, which had requested an extension of the date for registration in the electoral register to October 6, described the judge’s decision as “regrettable” in a statement.
“We are disappointed but not surprised that the courts are once again going against the will of the people and in favor of the two-party system,” said Lillian Aponte Dones, MVC electoral commissioner.
The New Progressive Party (PNP) and the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which have alternated in power in Puerto Rico for decades, did not support an extension of the deadline.
According to MVC, there are more than 80,000 people who have begun the process of registering for the Electronic Registry of Voters (eRE) and have not received confirmation from the CEE, despite having completed all the requirements requested by the platform.
In the elections, MVC is running in alliance with the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), whose candidate for governor is Juan Dalmau.
For his part, the electoral commissioner of the PNP, Aníbal Vega Borges, said that they are “satisfied” with the court’s decision and that they understand that it is “mainly favorable for all voters.”
“This decision gives us confidence that the Commission’s work schedule will continue as planned, with a view to holding the elections on November 5 without setbacks and as required by law,” he added.
In addition to the aforementioned Juan Dalmau, the candidates for governor in the elections are Jenniffer González, from the PNP; Jesús Manuel Ortiz, from the PPD; and Javier Jiménez, from Proyecto Dignidad.
Puerto Ricans are also called to vote for the Resident Commissioner in Washington, legislators, senators and mayors.
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