Puerto Rico gets its 1st independent candidate for governor
Starting Tuesday, Puerto Rico has its first-ever independent candidate for governor - a young, highly educated attorney and businesswoman who rejects the island's traditional political duopoly and personifies the values and demands of Spain's "indignados" and the Occupy movement in the United States.
"I'd love to gather the support of Puerto Rican people who, as in other countries, are tired of a two-party system and want the budget well administered and up-to-date policies put in place," Alexandra Lugano, 33, told Efe minutes after going public with her history-making candidacy.
About to receive her doctorate from Madrid's Universidad Complutense, she does not hesitate to announce her platform: to renogotiate the debt if necessary, legalize marijuana and same-sex marriage, and make religious institutions pay taxes, among other projects.
All are very controversial matters on the island and Lugano says she is fully aware that a candidate of one of this U.S. commonwealth's two establishment parties will always find it impossible to speak clearly on such matters.
"I'm convinced there are many people in Puerto Rico who believe that this is good and necessary...who are tired of politicians who every four years change all the employees, dismantle whatever has been achieved and govern without offering any real alternatives," she says.
Lugano acknowledges that it is easy to associate her with movements such as those that have become parties like Podemos in Spain and Syriza in Greece, despite the fact that in Puerto Rico there have been no social protests with anything like the magnitude of the "indignados," partly because many who would take part in such movements have left for the U.S. mainland.
With only 3.6 million inhabitants, Puerto Rico sees some 50,000 emigrate each year, a large part of them young professionals or with a high level of education who are seeking a way out of an economy that has been in the doldrums for more than eight years.
"I'm aware of that and I'm confident they'll unite with me, because I know the great majority are longing to return," she said.
Though Puerto Rico's parties are basically defined by their opinion about whether the island should remain a U.S. commmonwealth, seek U.S. statehood or declare independence, Lugano avoided giving her opinion on the matter.
"What I think best for Puerto Rico isn't important. What is important is that which is objectively best for Puerto Rico. We have to study that with all the data and with our best experts and present a serious, definitive proposal to Washington," she said.
What she did say frankly is that the current status of a Free Associated State "is not a solution," but is largely the cause of economic problems on the island, asphyxiated by its "unpayable" debt of $73 billion and the demands of rating agencies for austerity.
In Puerto Rico, she said, "we believe that if they downgrade our credit rating the world will come to an end," whereas "what we have to do is sit down with out best experts and develop an economic plan that isn't based solely on tax collecting." EFE
By Mar Gonzalo
Puerto Rico gets its 1st independent candidate for governor
"I'd love to gather the support of Puerto Rican people who, as in other countries, are tired of a two-party system and want the budget well administered and up-to-date policies put in place," Alexandra Lugano, 33, told Efe minutes after going public with her history-making candidacy.
About to receive her doctorate from Madrid's Universidad Complutense, she does not hesitate to announce her platform: to renogotiate the debt if necessary, legalize marijuana and same-sex marriage, and make religious institutions pay taxes, among other projects.
All are very controversial matters on the island and Lugano says she is fully aware that a candidate of one of this U.S. commonwealth's two establishment parties will always find it impossible to speak clearly on such matters.
"I'm convinced there are many people in Puerto Rico who believe that this is good and necessary...who are tired of politicians who every four years change all the employees, dismantle whatever has been achieved and govern without offering any real alternatives," she says.
Lugano acknowledges that it is easy to associate her with movements such as those that have become parties like Podemos in Spain and Syriza in Greece, despite the fact that in Puerto Rico there have been no social protests with anything like the magnitude of the "indignados," partly because many who would take part in such movements have left for the U.S. mainland.
With only 3.6 million inhabitants, Puerto Rico sees some 50,000 emigrate each year, a large part of them young professionals or with a high level of education who are seeking a way out of an economy that has been in the doldrums for more than eight years.
"I'm aware of that and I'm confident they'll unite with me, because I know the great majority are longing to return," she said.
Though Puerto Rico's parties are basically defined by their opinion about whether the island should remain a U.S. commmonwealth, seek U.S. statehood or declare independence, Lugano avoided giving her opinion on the matter.
"What I think best for Puerto Rico isn't important. What is important is that which is objectively best for Puerto Rico. We have to study that with all the data and with our best experts and present a serious, definitive proposal to Washington," she said.
What she did say frankly is that the current status of a Free Associated State "is not a solution," but is largely the cause of economic problems on the island, asphyxiated by its "unpayable" debt of $73 billion and the demands of rating agencies for austerity.
In Puerto Rico, she said, "we believe that if they downgrade our credit rating the world will come to an end," whereas "what we have to do is sit down with out best experts and develop an economic plan that isn't based solely on tax collecting." EFE
By Mar Gonzalo
Puerto Rico gets its 1st independent candidate for governor
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