Oct 2016 – One More Time: Puerto Rico’s Agenda

Election 2016 – Analysis of Economic Platforms
On November 8th, 2016, Puerto Ricans will face a stark choice between six governor candidacies, consisting of 4 political parties and 2 independent candidates. According to recent polls, independent candidates are attracting 22% of voters. Still, Ricardo Rossello from the NPP and David Bernier from the PDP are leading the polls to be the next Governor of PR. However, with the recent approval of a US Congress mandated Fiscal Control Board for PR, most people consider the elected governor and the legislature will have limited powers and areas of influence. Under these circumstances, the next four years will be tough for the new government and the people of PR. Economic issues include recession, outmigration, debt payments, retirement and health time bombs, and a harsh relation with the Fiscal Control Board. Voters in PR will have to analyze carefully the various platforms of these candidates and determine if some of these measures are economically unfeasible, not fiscally prudent, unclear; or depict lack of organization and cohesion, among other flaws. Can you judge who might be the better candidate for PR?