Ny Safidinao

David Bernier, who stepped down as Puerto Rico's secretary of state two months ago, plans to announce his candidacy for governor of the financially troubled island on Wednesday, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Bernier, a member of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), has long been seen as a likely successor to incumbent PPD Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, who announced on Monday he would not seek re-election in November 2016 as the U.S. commonwealth struggles through a $72 billion debt crisis. Ana Maria Santiago, Bernier's spokeswoman, said he will announce his candidacy on Wednesday afternoon at his parents' home in Patillas, the southeastern town where he was born. Bernier will face off against rivals from the New Progressive Party (PNP), who include Ricky Rossello, the son of a popular ex-governor, and Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress. Garcia Padilla had faced low public approval ratings and eroding support within his own party amid ten...

Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said he won't seek re-election so his administration can focus on reducing the Caribbean island's $70 billion debt load. "I will be focusing on attending the issues of the government above all before any of my political aspirations," Garcia Padilla said in a taped broadcast Monday. Garcia Padilla, 44, a member of the Popular Democratic Party, which seeks to continue Puerto Rico's commonwealth status, said he would leave his position when his term ends in January 2017. About 12 percent of Puerto Ricans had a positive view of the governor, the lowest level since Garcia Padilla took office in January 2013, according to a Nov. 2 poll conducted by El Nuevo Dia, the island's biggest daily newspaper. Among voters of his own party, 39 percent approve of Garcia Padilla's work as governor. "Puerto Rico can't change its path in the middle in the crisis," Garcia Padilla said. "We are taking all of the possib...