PNP: six candidates for mayor of Cataño; special election September 27

On September 4, 2026, El Nuevo Día reports, by Génesis Ibarra Vázquez, that the filing period for the special election for mayor of Cataño closed at midday Friday with six PNP candidates: Rafael Canino Torres, Félix Matías Rodríguez, Hiram Torres Montalvo, Bethzaida Rodríguez Torres, José Rodríguez Ocaña and Fernando Cintrón Mercado. Electoral commissioner Aníbal Vega Borges said he was satisfied: of nine who requested documents, six filed. An evaluating committee has until September 8 to certify who met requirements and to weigh sworn complaints before the party Secretariat; Vega Borges said that, at the time of that coverage, no formal complaint had been filed.

Key dates El Nuevo Día prints: ballot-position draw September 9; electoral roll closes the 18th; early voting by inmates the 25th; election Sunday, September 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Vega Borges estimated the special’s cost at about 8,000 dollars and turnout of about 3,000 to 3,500 PNP affiliates. The vacancy follows the death, on August 13, of Mayor Julio Alicea Vasallo. Hours before the close, PNP municipal legislators asked the party leadership not to certify Hiram Torres Montalvo — still DACO secretary — without a prior resignation from that post; Torres Montalvo attributed the letter to the “campaign style” of Alicea Vasallo’s widow. Vega Borges said that, in his view, Torres Montalvo meets the requirements.

Another fight touches Rodríguez Torres, Alicea Vasallo’s widow: an anonymous complaint referred to Justice, Government Ethics and the Comptroller’s Office alleges harassment of municipal employees to campaign for her, with help from officials including interim mayor María de los Ángeles Pérez Ramos, who rejected the claims. What remains is six candidates, a calendar through the 27th, about 8,000 dollars in estimated cost, and fights without turning them into a verdict. A reader who wants Ibarra Vázquez on the 4th has the El Nuevo Día URL at the foot. This is not original reporting.

Fuente: El Nuevo Día. https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/politica/notas/en-medio-de-pugnas-y-querellas-pnp-anuncia-seis-aspirantes-a-la-alcaldia-de-catano/