The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) is redefining its ideological identity as a centrist and autonomist force, party president and Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera told delegates at the PDP General Assembly at the Ponce Convention Center on Sunday. He said the party’s reorganization rests on three pillars: a new structure, new leadership and a new philosophy, centered on "the human being, the Puerto Rican, and their material and spiritual needs for bread, land, and liberty."
The new philosophy will go to the newly elected governing board. Hernández Rivera rejected the idea that centrism is weakness: "Being in the center is not, as some will say, being lukewarm." He proposed a runoff election when no gubernatorial candidate wins a majority, citizen referendum mechanisms to propose or repeal laws, participatory budgeting in communities, and a process to remove a government before its four-year term ends.
He reiterated opposition to the federal Financial Oversight and Management Board, saying a government that does not spend more than it collects will remove it. On status, he said the PDP believes in maintaining and improving the Estado Libre Asociado and predicted no change "in the near future." Looking to the 2028 elections, he called for changing Gov. Jenniffer González Colón and Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz.
He announced a 10-year government program prioritizing electricity, water, health, education, public safety and housing, and said more than 7,000 members voted to elect the new governing board.