From The Star Team
On Wednesday, the Ethics Committee of the island’s House of Representatives decided by a majority vote to advance a complaint that House candidate Christian Rodríguez filed in September against New Progressive Party Representative Wanda del Valle, concerning the purported misuse of her legislative office in Canóvanas to host a Temporary Electoral Registration Board (JIT, as referred to in Spanish).
The committee agreed with a 6-2 vote to progress the complaint. Del Valle has a period of 10 days to provide her response.
In his complaint, Rodríguez asserted that the legislator’s actions directly breach the electoral process’s principles of neutrality and transparency, criticizing the alternate chair of the State Elections Commission (SEC), Jessika Padilla Rivera, who recognized that permitting the JIT to be established in the legislator’s office was an “error in judgment.”
Rodríguez highlighted that the JIT, which was initially set to be placed in a bus terminal, was relocated without justification to del Valle’s office, resulting in an apparent conflict of interest.
“It is intolerable that Representative del Valle, who is tasked with upholding the integrity of the electoral system, has enabled such a blatant violation of the regulations intended to prevent political manipulation,” stated the candidate. “This is more than a mere ‘error in judgment’; it is an act that significantly undermines the fairness and trustworthiness of our democratic process.”
Rodríguez’s complaint is founded on the Puerto Rico Electoral Code of 2020 and House Resolution 326, which bar the use of public resources and premises for political gain.
“Representative Wanda Del Valle has shown a complete disregard for ethics by utilizing her office for partisan objectives, misappropriating public resources to benefit herself and the New Progressive Party,” Rodríguez asserted. “This represents not only a clear breach of the law but also a blatant abuse of power that warrants severe repercussions.”
“Merely acknowledging an ‘error in judgment’ is insufficient,” he added. “The chair of the SEC has a duty to take decisive action regarding this violation rather than downplaying its significance. She must ensure an electoral process that is fair and free from political interference.”
