Puerto Rico Votes in Primary Elections Amid Heavy Blackouts

Puerto Rico Votes in Primary Elections Amid Heavy Blackouts

The power cuts, allegedly caused by bad weather, have affected the primaries of the two main political parties in Puerto Rico this Sunday, in which the affiliates elect their candidates for the governorship for the November elections.

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“It is unacceptable and brings to our attention what has been a constant problem. Today is an electoral process, but there must be many people here who need electricity to live”, said the pre-candidate to the governorship Jesús Manuel Ortiz to his exit from the educational center, located in the urbanization San Gerardo, in the sector of Cupey.

An example of these blackouts occurred in the schools Aurora Waldorf and Juan José Osuna, in San Juan, where they voted in the dark the pre-candidate to the governorship by the opposition Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Jesús Manuel Ortiz, and the mayor of the capital, Miguel Romero, of the ruling New Progressive Party (NPP).

Primary day in Puerto Rico has arrived… https://t.co/OrS9emITSA

— Andrew J. Padilla ���� (@apadillafilm6)
June 2, 2024

Electric service in Puerto Rico has been a consistent stumbling block for years, from being administered by the state-run Electric Power Authority until 2021 when it passed into the hands of the private company Luma Energy, in charge of transmission and distribution.

In this primary elections, are faced the current pro-statehood Puerto Rico’s Governor, Pedro Perluisi, who seeks the re-eelction, the resident commissioner in Washington, Jenniffer González, both from the NPP, and the opposition Popular Democratic Party (PDP) led by Jesús Manuel Ortiz.

In addition, some polling stations did not open due to lack of officials, with voters redirected to other polling stations. In the primaries, voters also elect other NPP and PDP candidates for resident commissioner, mayors, representatives, and senators.