ANTI-ROSSELLÓ PROTESTS AND CALLS FOR RESIGNATION CLIMAX IN UNPRECEDENTED MARCH

Puerto Ricans’ anger at the two scandals currently surrounding Governor Ricardo Rosselló—the first: the now internationally infamous Telegram group chat in which the Governor and other male officials expressed vulgar contempt for various Puerto Rican individuals and groups; the second: the misappropriation of more than $15 million in sweetheart deals to contractors friendly with administration officials—have fueled Puerto Rican protests throughout the week, as well as calls for Rosselló’s resignation.

After 10 consecutive days of protests, incensed Puerto Ricans braved the rain and came together this Monday for “La Gran Marcha,” a march of unprecedented size, eclipsing the 2000 march calling for the U.S. Navy’s exit from Vieques. Celebrities and U.S. public officials continue to call for Rosselló to resign, among them Ricky Martin, Lin Manuel-Miranda, and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva. Of the U.S. presidential candidates, Julián Castro was the first to call for Rosselló’s resignation, stating “I don’t think that Rosselló can be effective anymore.” He was followed by Elizabeth Warren, who tweeted that “the people have spoken loud and clear: @RicardoRosselló should resign.” Bernie Sanders tweeted that he joined Puerto Ricans “in calling for the immediate resignation of Governor Rosselló.” 

Not to be left behind, President Donald Trump sent at least two tweets repeating falsehoods about the emergency funds assigned to the Island and attacking political enemies like San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who has played no role in either scandal. 

Although the Governor currently insists that he will not heed the calls for his resignation, the two scandals have led to the departures of many of his allies, with more expected in the coming days. 

GOVERNOR RICARDO ROSSELLÓ WILL NOT RUN FOR A SECOND TERM

While embattled Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rosselló insists that he will not resign, he has stepped down from his position as New Progressive Party (NPP) president. Additionally, the governor has announced that he will not run for a second gubernatorial term. 

Rosselló indicated that he plans to focus all of his energies into “restoring the trust” of all the sectors that have positioned themselves against him. “The priority must be the people of Puerto Rico, therefore all my time must be aimed at meeting all of the responsibilities I’ve undertaken as governor,” he said, He also indicated that he welcomed the impeachment process begun by the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly. 

Ricardo Rosselló will now become the fifth consecutive governor of Puerto Rico to serve one term. 

WASHINGTON POST CALLS FOR GREATER POWERS FOR FOMB

In its editorial for Friday, July 19th, The Washington Post, speaking about the current scandals embroiling Puerto Rico’s government, also prescribed a course of action. Noting that the Island’s problems would not be solved with Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s departure, the newspaper argued that, “serious, systematic reform is needed.”

Calling the FBI arrests of former government officials “a step in the right direction,” the editorial called for aggressive law enforcement, as well as “rigorous” oversight of federal disaster relief funds assigned to Puerto Rico. Furthermore, it called on the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) to be strengthened, noting that, “its effectiveness has been hampered” by battles with elected officials and its lack of authority to ensure operational changes. The Board, the editorial argues, should be modeled after the fiscal control board assigned to Washington, D.C. during the 1990s.

SCANDALS DELAY DEBT AGREEMENT PROCESS

Among the consequences of the ongoing scandals and resulting decimation of the Rosselló Administration is the hindering of Puerto Rico’s ongoing debt restructuring process. According to attorney Rolando Emmanuelli, who represents the Electrical Industry and Irrigation Workers Union (UTIER, in Spanish) in bankruptcy negotiations involving the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA)’s debt, the scandals have caused delays in the motion to approve the agreement with the public corporation’s bondholders. 

According to Emmanuelli, before the scandal, AAFAF Executive Director Christian Sobrino had until July 24 to sign onto the proposed agreement. Sobrino’s resignation pushed the date to September 11, and may be delayed further still, to October 3. “Without government representation, everything gets delayed,” said the attorney.