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Puerto Rico Governor Cuts Short Her Honeymoon - Trouble at Home
El Vocero de Puerto Rico (Spanish-language article) ^ | September 29, 2003 | Maricarmen Rivera Sánchez

Posted on 09/29/2003 11:44:41 AM PDT by Ebenezer

(English-language translation)

Amid the bitter controversy surrounding the nomination of Ferdinand Mercado as Chief Justice of the [Puerto Rico] Supreme Court, Governor Sila María Calderón cancelled part of her honeymoon in Europe and returned to the island yesterday.

In a brief press release issued by the Governor’s Mansion, it was reported that Calderón arrived to the island in the afternoon. The Governor’s return was originally scheduled for the end of this week.

The Governor returns just in time for the beginning of hearings in the Senate Appointments Committee today where opinions for and against the Chief Executive’s nominee to preside the Supreme Court will be heard. With several Senators undecided, the result of the vote is still uncertain.

The Governor’s nomination, [which] was announced before [her] departure for Europe following her wedding to [former Secretary of Economic Development] Ramón Cantero Frau, has provoked divisions within the higher ranks of the [governing] Popular Democratic Party (PPD).

The strongest opposition to the nomination actually comes from Resident Commissioner and PPD Chairman Aníbal Acevedo Vilá who, by the way, is first on the list of today’s speakers [before the Committee].

For his part, Mercado, who served as Acting Governor until yesterday, declined to comment on the Governor’s early return.

"It’s not that I am not aware. It’s that I have indicated that I will have no comments," Mercado stated in the morning, when the Governor’s return was not yet made public.

Mercado admitted that he discussed the matter of his nomination with Calderón during a conversation on Saturday, but he provided no details of such.

"We spoke mostly about what is happening in Puerto Rico and, obviously, this is part of what is happening in our island," Mercado pointed out.

Governor’s Mansion Press Office Director Nilka Estrada indicated that the Governor has no public activities [scheduled] in today’s agenda.


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: ferdinandmercado; puertorico; silacalderon; supremecourt
In Puerto Rico, all judges (including Supreme Court justices) are nominated by the Governor and appointed following confirmation by the island's Senate.

While this situation regarding the nomination of a Chief Justice does not necessarily fit the category of serious news here on the mainland, there is a certain soap-opera quality to it.

1 posted on 09/29/2003 11:44:42 AM PDT by Ebenezer
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To: rrstar96
The only time they can all agree in Puerto Rico is when they're stealing from the U.S. Taxpayers.

Did you notice that all the tough talk of selling Roosevelt Roads Naval Station to the highest bidder, with 100% of the proceeds of the sale going to the U.S. Navy, went right out the window last week?

At the last minute, Bush and friends gave Puerto Rico almost everything and the sole say-so on who would buy the little that's left to sell and the use the land would be put to?

The White House is full of gutless, pandering RINOs.

2 posted on 09/30/2003 5:46:34 AM PDT by 4Freedom (America is no longer the 'Land of Opportunity', it's the 'Land of Illegal Alien Opportunists'!!!)
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To: rrstar96
Why is this nomination so controversial?
3 posted on 09/30/2003 5:49:31 AM PDT by livius
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To: livius
In a nutshell, opponents argue that Mercado was nominated only because of his political connections to the Governor and not because of any professional merits.

An article in today's online edition of EL VOCERO summarizes the first day of hearings in the Puerto Rico Senate regarding the nomination. Opposition appears to be quite strong, to the point that senators are calling on the Governor to withdraw the nomination.
4 posted on 09/30/2003 6:28:13 AM PDT by Ebenezer (Strength and Honor!)
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