The countdown for Puerto Rico’s 2020 election has already begun. We’re still missing a whole year and a few months until November of 2020, but it’s important that we stay alert from now on. There are crucial points that we have to stay on the lookout for. You still with me? Well, why don’t we start with a small historical background of Puerto Rico’s democracy?
In 1946, the first Puerto Rican Governor, Jesús T. Piñero, was elected by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. Piñero remained in this position until 1948. The United States used to designate the governor of the Island, which usually resulted in members of the U.S. Military filling in the position. Piñero was also the first Puerto Rican to be chosen for the position. The choice of a Puerto Rican opened the way for the Elective Governor Act which allowed the governor to be elected democratically every four years. Then 1948 happened, and Puerto Ricans were able to experience their first democratic election for a governor. It’s important to defend one of the most relevant acts that have been implemented since 1948.
This year, your final decision at the voting polls will be crucial. Puerto Rico’s conditions and situations need to be taken care of diligently in order for it to prosper so, choosing the right candidate will permit such a thing. The news broadcast will be filled with information; your news feed will be constantly bombarded as well, and you’ll get tired of it. Let’s be honest, I’ll be too, but it’s our responsibility to carefully analyze all the articles being fed to us. Including this one! You’ll see favoritism play a big roll in news media outlets and lots of image-damaging press towards many candidates, and it’ll be our job to filter what’s true and, I’m sorry, what’s “fake news.”
There are three major political developments that have occurred in the past few months, so let’s review them by starting with the most recent one.
Carmen Yulín
On March 22nd, 2019, San Juan’s mayor announced that she was going to be running for governor in the 2020 elections. This is a major key point for the Popular Democratic Party or PPD as she is a slightly idealistic and controversial candidate. We have already seen her in action in a powerful position as mayor, so we have an idea about how she will work administratively and as a leader. According to Primera Hora, Carmen Yulín is also going to be working this year as the co-president for the Bernie Sanders electoral committee, being the first Puerto Rican to have a roll of the sort. By occupying this position, she has acquired a platform to reach out to, not only Puerto Rico, but within the United States as well.
Ricardo Rosselló
Our current governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares, part of the New Progressive Party or PNP announced at the beginning of the month of March that he was once again going to run for governor in the 2020 elections. On the bright side, we’ve already seen his methods and viewpoints on running our country since he won the 2016 elections so that we are able to form a stronger opinion or idea on how this could possibly play out.
Alexandra Lúgaro y Rafael Bernabé
Lúgaro and Bernabé are looking to join forces to establish a new movement: el Movimiento Victoria de los Ciudadanos or MVC. They’re both ex-candidates from the 2016 elections, belonging to two different political parties. Right now, they are looking to inspire enough voters to inscribe in the party, and given the votes they received during the past elections, they probably will achieve it.
And the list goes on, but having a clear view of who the announced candidates are from the start will help our future decision. Now, this is the important part: voting. As said in the beginning, we have to move forward and defend our right to choose. As citizens of our country, of any country, we have a responsibility to inform ourselves about the candidates and the platforms they stand on, and to take action regarding the situations that bother us. Voting is the primary way to ensure that they change.