PUERTO RICO – Crushing defeat for annexationist Roselló

From Granma International

AFTER unsuccessfully trying out all the dirty tricks taught by the “democracy” of the North, the former Puerto Rican annexations governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Rosselló, finally acknowledged his defeat, leaving the way free for his adversary, autonomist  Aníbal Acevedo. However, the politico – recently described by The New York Daily as the child spoilt and pampered by his father and for whom Santa Claus didn’t leave La Fortaleza (governor’s residence) underneath his tree – is still attempting to secure the presidency of the island’s Senate.

Two times governor of Puerto Rico (1993-2000), the head of the New Progressive Party (PNP) was defeated in the general elections this past November 2 by 3,566 votes. In order to put an end to the controversy, a Boston court had to rule that the interference of a federal judge indulgent toward the island was unauthorized. 

Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, leader of the Democratic Popular Party (PPD) has assumed the governor’s position, which he will hold for the next four years, replacing Sila María Calderón.

“Rosselló is a megalomaniac,” commented former annexationist head Benny Frankie Cerezo, in an interview with the national press. During his campaign, Rosselló did not hesitate to resort to all the demagogy of which he is capable. He even hired a pastor, the Reverend Rolón, who announced in a televised commercial that God had told him that Rosselló was the leader that Puerto Rico needed.

While in the United States, Democrat John Kerry didn’t attempt to fight the election results in court, in Puerto Rico the right wing leader refused to recognize his adversary’s victory, on the pretext that he won his position through “void” votes, in a reference to ballots with three candidates ticked by the Puerto Rican Supreme Court.

After two months of legal debate, the checking of voting cards, and accusations of fraud, on December 28 the State Elections Commission (CEE) announced Acevedo Vilá (PPD) as the winner with 48.4% of the votes, while Rosselló (PNP) received 48.2%.

The PNP president, known for having espoused highly questionable practices during his administration and as the subject of exposés, ironically qualified the victory of the separatist leader as the “product of fraud” and accused Federico Hernández Denton, president of the Puerto Rican Supreme Court, of having “turned” in favor of the PPD.

He tried the to block the certification of the new governor by making an appeal to Judge Daniel Domínguez, a US District Court magistrate in Puerto Rico…and a personal friend. It was confirmed afterwards that Rosselló had appointed Domínguez to the bench and videos were shown in which both are seen together.

As anticipated, Domínguez attempted to have the mixed ballots discounted, thus provoking a run-in with the Supreme Court.

The magistrate’s decision provoked a protest by more than 25,000 Puerto Ricans against what was called “an attempted coup d’état” by federal judges on the Caribbean island.

The CEE president finally resorted to the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston to overturn Domínguez’ decision and it was this court’s intervention that put an end to the debate.

Since then, the former annexationist governor has tried unsuccessfully to force the resignation of the elected senators of his party to resign so that he could become president of the Senate, a position for which Kenneth McClintock has already been selected.

According to El Nuevo Día in Puerto Rico, “high ranking figures from inside the New Progressive Party (PNP)” went so far as to head a movement offering “a payment of $140,000 and the senate secretary position to a New Progressive Party (PNP) senator who was willing to transfer his governmental seat to the defeated candidate.” According to the newspaper, the information was confirmed by Senator Lucy Arce, vice president of the PNP.

PSYCHIATRIST’S SON “SEES THE WORLD FROM HIS TENNIS COURT”

In 1998, Rosselló also refused to recognize the popular vote when a proposal to convert Puerto Rico into a US state was rejected in a referendum. In spite of its defeat, he presided over noisy celebrations with fireworks in the streets of San Juan, and the following day went to Washington to ask for the island to be admitted into the Union…

However, as governor he was most known for his corruption. More than 40 members of his administration ended up in the courts on embezzlement charges. Those figures included his education secretary, two former cabinet heads, his personal secretary, a campaign director, two general secretaries from his party and a parliamentary president

Son of a psychiatrist, Rosselló was born in San Juan de Puerto Rico on April 5, 1944. He completed his education at Yale, but his official biography highlights that, during his higher studies, “Pedro” shone out as a tennis player. “He was captain of the University of Notre Dame tennis team, won five male singles championships in Puerto Rico and appeared as one of the best in that sport in agreement with the US Tennis Association. 

The article in El Día emphasized that, according to a psychiatrist who has known him for a number of years, the politico “sees the world from behind the netting of luxury hotel tennis courts.”