Puerto Rico's Crises Could Break The Island's Two-Party Politics
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico ― It’s been 121 years since the United States conquered this island, 13 years since its economy went into recession, three years since painful austerity began and more than 3,000 people died in a catastrophic storm, and two months since historic protests toppled a corrupt, scandal-struck governor.
But for the political party promising to end these crises, it’s the next four months that really matter.
Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana, an upstart political party, needs 49,000 signatures to qualify as an official party on the 2020 ballot. MVC ― whose name translates to Citizens Victory Movement ― has gathered more than 27,000 since it launched in March and is vowing to shake up a party system that revolves almost entirely around the question of Puerto Rico’s relationship to the United States.
The center-right New Progressive Party, which controls the legislature and governor’s mansion, wants Puerto Rico to become an official U.S. state, which would give the island full representation in American government and increase access to resources. The centrist Popular Democratic Party advocates maintaining the status quo as an unincorporated territory, preserving the island’s distinct identity while retaining the nominal benefits of American citizenship.
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