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Para ver esta página en español, oprima aquí. Gracia: It’s "Difficult" To Keep Control At SEC… Dominguez Justifies His Silence On PDP Request, Acevedo Criticizes Judge For Delay In Deciding Case… Recount Is Paralyzed Yet Again, Judge Refuses To Extend Court’s Jurisdiction… Proposed Vieques "Megaprojects" Denounced… Whale Beaches Itself & Dies… Rum Sales Add $350m in Taxes
Gracia: It Is "Difficult" To Keep Control At SEC By Laura Rivera Melendez November 30, 2004 SAN JUAN (AP) – While unforeseen events continued to push back even more the recount of votes from the Nov. 2 election, the president of the State Elections Commission, Aurelio Gracia, said it is "difficult" to maintain control of what is happening at the organization he leads. "We already are arriving at points where things are out of control … For one to say they have 100 percent control, when the parties, at times, have their own objectives, their own goals, their own strategies, is difficult," Gracia said at a press conference. Tuesday the recount was halted again because of differences between the New Progressive Party (NPP) and the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) over adjudicating ballots with marks to the side of the candidates for governor and resident commissioner of the same party, but without an "x" below the insignia of one of the three parties. And while the uncertainty about the federal complaint about ballots with three marks for a mixed vote continues, Gracia maintains hope that the counting tables will be increased from 60 to 100 to be able to certify the next governor of the island before Dec. 31. Gracia said Tuesday that the NPP election commissioner Thomas Rivera Schatz and the PIP commissioner Juan Dalmau were not available to meet Tuesday morning to discuss the controversy, as PDP commissioner Gerardo Cruz had suggested. But minutes after, Dalmau responded that he arrived at the election operations center at 9 a.m. and was available to meet. "It seems to me the president received wrong information," Dalmau said, blaming a communication problem between Gracia and the commissioners. Dominguez Justifies His Silence On PDP Request By Manuel Ernesto Rivera November 30, 2004 SAN JUAN (AP) – Federal Judge Daniel Dominguez on Tuesday responded to the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston with the famous proverb, "I can’t give Mass and ring the church bells at the same time," to justify his silence about the writ of mandamus filed by the Popular Democratic Party (PDP). This was Dominguez’s reaction to the opinion given Monday by the First Circuit Court in Boston that asked the federal judge to answer the PDP writ to return the controversy to the Supreme Court. "My response to the Circuit is the famous Spanish proverb: ‘No puedo estar dando misa y repicando campanas a la vez’ (I can’t give Mass and ring bells at the same time) … if I am in a marathon hearing I can not resolve the mandamus. I can not resolve it empty-handed, I need the records," Dominguez said in open court. The federal court of appeals on Monday authorized Dominguez to continue hearing the case of the mixed votes and left it to his discretion to respond to the mandamus, a writ which can be issued by a superior court to order a public official or body or a lower court to perform a specified duty. Dominguez also said that his court will recess due to an official trip he is making to a judicial conference in the United States, on instructions from the U.S. Supreme Court. Acevedo Vila Criticizes Judge For Delay In Deciding Case November 30, 2004 SAN JUAN (AP) – Federal Judge Daniel Dominguez is "torturing" the island and holds "hostage" the Puerto Rican courts by taking so long to decide about the complaint filed by the New Progressive Party challenging thousands of ballots, Anibal Acevedo Vila said Tuesday. "While Judge Daniel Dominguez does not decide, he holds hostage the Puerto Rico courts that have private jurisdiction to be able to act in this controversy," Acevedo Vila said at a press conference. "It is impermissible that he (Dominguez) continues to torture the country by delaying the process," he added. The gubernatorial candidate, who was preliminarily certified as the winner, urged Judge Dominguez to decide the case as soon as possible, so the party that is defeated can continue with their appeal in the First Circuit Court in Boston. Acevedo Vila said, also, that the lateness shows the NPP is picking up different strategies to slow the recount process. He also criticized the federal judge for allowing the parade of evidence as he decided if he would assume jurisdiction in the case. Recount Is Paralyzed Once More November 30, 2004 SAN JUAN (AP) – The recount of votes from the Nov. 2 election was halted Tuesday morning, over the dispute about the New Progressive Party (NPP) position that ballots marked for candidates for governor and resident commissioner of the same party should be adjudicated as "integrated" votes. The director of the process, Benicio Carmona, said through spokespeople for the Operations Center at the State Elections Commission at 10:15 a.m. that the recount was paralyzed "until the commission meets and makes a decision on the votes." It was not immediately clear at what time the election commissioners would meet with SEC President Aurelio Gracia. PDP Election Commissioner Gerardo Cruz said yesterday that NPP officials allegedly tried to adjudicate as "integrated" votes the ballots on which voters made marks to the side of the PDP gubernatorial candidates, Aníbal Acevedo Vila, and his partner on the ballot, Roberto Prats - without making an "x" under any of the three parties. This, according to Cruz, is an attempt to make state ballots with three marks – one under the insignia of a party and two to the side of candidates of another party – be invalid for containing two alleged integrated votes. Rule 78 of SEC regulations defines the ballot for a candidate as "one on which the voter has not made valid marks outside of the quadrant of a political party, and is limited to select and mark candidates directly on the ballot, or write their names in the column for direct nomination." NPP Election Commissioner Thomas Rivera Schatz alleged these ballots must be adjudicated as "integrated", however he said his position was not because of a "strategy" to hold up the process, as was argued by his PDP counterparts. Dominguez: My Jurisdiction Does Not Cover New Vote Controversy By Manuel Ernesto Rivera November 30, 2004 SAN JUAN (AP) – Federal Judge Daniel Dominguez warned the New Progressive Party that he will not deal with a claim that the votes on which only two marks appear to the side of the PDP candidates be adjudicated as "integrated" votes. "I confess my total ignorance about this. I do not have jurisdiction over this … they have to go to the state courts," Dominguez said when he was informed that NPP election commissioner Thomas Rivera Schatz asked his officials to count the ballots as integrated, even though they traditionally have been adjudicated as votes for candidates. "My jurisdiction is limited to the mixed votes with three "x" marks and the withholding of the vote from absentee voters … you would think I am here to protect them. I am not sitting here as a priest to hear confessions," he said. The judge made the statements after being told by lawyers for the government and the Popular Democratic Party of the new controversy that paralyzed the vote recount on Tuesday. "Megaprojects" Proposed For Vieques Are Denounced By RICARDO ZÚÑIGA November 30, 2004 SAN JUAN (AP) – Assessors for the municipality of Vieques allegedly promoted a vision of development for the island municipality that included large hotels and gated communities, contrary to the interests of the community and the master plan endorsed by the central government, the Committee to Rescue and Develop Vieques. Nilda Medina, spokeswoman for the committee, said more than one hundred Vieques residents sent letters to the interagency group charged with assisting with the needs of the island, asking them to approve the elaborate plan by the firm Estudios Tecnicos Inc., whose vision of "sustainable" development proposed, among other things, small projects for Vieques residents. She said the plan that engineer Jose A. Marcano, one of the assessors, tried to put in place allowed "megaprojects" like Palmas Del Mar, with resorts and controlled-access neighborhoods. "This type of development, only for the rich, is contrary to the vision of community development and participation that Vieques residents have claimed," she said. She said the municipality tried to pass over the plan and zone the land in agreement with certain interests that, according to the civic leader, do not coincide with those of the majority of the population. Sperm Whale Beaches Itself On Puerto Rico Reef And Dies November 29, 2004 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A sperm whale beached itself on a coral reef and died in contaminated waters in Puerto Rico on Sunday, officials said. Authorities found the female whale off Punta Guilarte beach in the southeastern town of Arroyo, said Antonio Mignucci, director of the Caribbean Stranding Network, a San Juan-based environmental group. Mignucci estimated that the 30-foot whale was between the ages of 25 and 30, and weighed more than 20,000 pounds. It was atop a reef about 50 feet from shore. Rum Sales Add $350 Million To Puerto Rican Treasury November 29, 2004 SAN JUAN (AP) – The Puerto Rican treasury received some $350 million during the 2004-2005 fiscal year in taxes on the sale of Puerto Rican rum, said the Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce, Milton Segarra. Segarra also said that nearly 75 percent of the rum sold in U.S. stores comes from Puerto Rico, with sales of almost 13.5 million cases last year. "Thanks to the Puerto Rican Rums Program, the island already is known as the world capital for rum. This translates into $350 million for the local treasury, destined for improvements to infrastructure, education and health care in our country," Segarra said in a statement. He said of this figure, $5 million annually will be contributed to the recently created Trusteeship for Science, Technology and Investigation. The goal of this program is to develop and implement a public campaign to promote "the image, quality, versatility and consumption of Puerto Rican rum in the North American market." He said the brands of rum currently marketed under the Rums of Puerto Rico label are Bacardí, Barrilito, Captain Morgan, Castillo, Don Q, Palo Viejo, Ron Bocoy and Ron Llave.
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