San Juan Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico Rep. Jesús Manuel Ortiz defeated Sen. Juan Zaragoza in the gubernatorial primary held Sunday by his Popular Democratic Party, which is seeking to return to power in the upcoming general election.
Zaragoza admitted defeat after obtaining 38% of the votes compared to 62% for its rival, although only a little more than 60% of the votes had been counted.
Meanwhile, Governor Pedro Pierluisi was still locked in a battle against Puerto Rican Congresswoman Jenniffer González in a primary held by the pro-statehood New Progressive Party. The two ran on the same ticket four years ago, but González announced his plan to challenge Pierluisi in early December.
All candidates face disaffected voters on an island still battling chronic power outages and waiting for reconstruction projects to be completed following Hurricane Maria, which struck as a Category 4 storm in September 2017.
Other ongoing complaints include difficulty obtaining business permits, a fractured education system and a lack of access to capital markets after the local government emerged two years ago from the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy in history after announcing in 2015 that could not pay its public debt burden of more than 70 billion dollars. The debt was accumulated by governments that overspent, overestimated revenues, and borrowed millions despite mounting debt.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s previous story follows below.
The future of Puerto Rico’s political status and its recovering but fragile economy were at the center of heated debates as the island’s two largest political parties held contentious gubernatorial primaries on Sunday.
Governor Pedro Pierluisi, leader of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, was seeking a second term, running against Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, Jenniffer González. The two ran on the same ticket four years ago, but González announced his plan to challenge Pierluisi at the beginning of December. The public blows between the two turned bitter.
Joining Pierluisi for the congressional representative position was Puerto Rican Senator William Villafañe, while senior US naval military officer Elmer Román, former Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, sought the position under González.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico Senator Juan Zaragoza, who was highly praised for his work as the island’s former Treasury Secretary, is running against Representative Jesús Manuel Ortiz to be the main candidate of the Popular Democratic Party, which supports the status quo. of the island as an American State. territory.
Attorney Pablo José Hernández was running unopposed to be the party’s candidate for resident commissioner, the first person in 20 years to seek that nomination.
Voting centers closed Sunday afternoon, and political experts warned that voter turnout appeared low and electronic voting machines were not working properly in some cities, although it was too early to determine the extent of the problem.
All candidates faced disaffected voters on an island still struggling with chronic power outages and high electricity bills as it awaits the completion of reconstruction projects following Hurricane Maria, which struck as a Category 4 storm in September 2017.
Power outages were reported at more than a dozen voting centers, including one where Ortiz arrived to cast his vote, forcing officials to revert to a manual process. Heavy rain also hit parts of the island, and flood warnings were issued for nearly a dozen towns and cities.
Power outages remain such a concern that the State Election Commission leased more than a dozen generators and a private power company identified 81 alternative voting sites with guaranteed electricity.
“It’s been years since I last voted,” said Benito López, a 66-year-old retiree wearing a T-shirt that said “La Isla del Encanto.” He planned to vote for a candidate he would not reveal “to see if there is any improvement and change.”
Other voter complaints include difficulty obtaining business permits, a fractured education system and the island’s lack of access to capital markets after the local government emerged two years ago from the largest debt restructuring in the history of USA.
Meanwhile, more than $9 billion in debt held by Puerto Rico’s electric company, the largest of any government agency, remains unresolved. A federal judge overseeing a bankruptcy-like process has yet to rule on a restructuring plan after bitter negotiations between the government and bondholders.
“They have destroyed Puerto Rico,” Cecilio Rodríguez, 79, said of the current and previous administrations as he waited to cast his vote. “Economic development must be a priority.”
For other voters, stopping the exodus of doctors from Puerto Rico and improving the US territory’s crumbling health system is a priority.
“The patients are the ones who have to stay here and endure this. It’s not fair,” said Dr. Alfredo Rivera Freytes, an anesthesiologist who left Puerto Rico for the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Thomas due to ongoing problems with the local health system.
He returned two years ago with plans to retire, but found himself working again due to the need for anesthesiologists in Puerto Rico.
Ahead of the primary, Pierluisi has touted record tourist numbers, ongoing hurricane reconstruction and growing economic development among his successes in his quest for re-election. He has pledged to prioritize projects aimed at children and the island’s growing elderly population, among other things.
An event marking the end of his campaign, held a week before the primaries, was headlined by former governor Ricardo Rosselló, who resigned in August 2019 after nearly two weeks of mass protests sparked by a leak of crude and e-mailed chat messages. insulting relations between him and his senior advisors.
His opponent, González, did not run a closer campaign. He has promised to crack down on corruption, give more funding to agencies to help victims of violence amid a rise in murders of women and stop the exodus of doctors and other medical workers to the mainland United States.
Meanwhile, Zaragoza has committed to prioritizing climate change and renewable energy, decentralize the island’s education department and improve access to health. His opponent, Ortiz, has promised to improve the licensing process to retain doctors, simplify the island’s tax system and modernize health care.
Puerto Rico’s next governor will have to work alongside a federal control board that oversees the island’s finances and was created after the government declared bankruptcy.
Ahead of Sunday’s primary, more than 4,900 inmates voted in prisons across the United States. The State Election Commission also received and counted more than 122,000 early votes.
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This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
