SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico– Jenniffer González Colón was promised in Thursday as Puerto Rico’s brand-new guv throughout an usually ebullient event held amidst prevalent temper over a power outage that hit the U.S. territory days ago.
González, a Republican politician that backs President-elect Donald Trump and whose pro-statehood New Progressive Event protected a historical 3rd successive term after she won the Nov. 5 election, has actually promised to maintain the Caribbean island’s collapsing power grid.
” There are several difficulties encountering our island,” she claimed in her very first public address as guv as she recognized the power outage in a speech to a group collected before the seaside Capitol. “That is specifically what relocates me to resolve that very first obstacle with a feeling of necessity.”
She promised to enhance Puerto Rico’s framework, medical facilities and institutions, including that she means to enhance multilingual education and learning.
” I’m mosting likely to meet my pledges to you,” she claimed. “I am not mosting likely to regulate just for those that elected me. I am mosting likely to be the guv of all Puerto Ricans.”
Prior to the begin of an event to commemorate her swearing in, González participated in Mass bordered by household and fans.
” What far better than ahead initially to give thanks to God and to ask God to provide me the knowledge, the perseverance and the devices to meet every little thing I guaranteed individuals of Puerto Rico,” she informed press reporters.
A militant with her face covered disrupted the Mass at Parroquia Santa Teresita in San Juan. She shouted, “Jenniffer, we came for you! Puerto lacks power.”
On the other hand, a little team of militants collected at the Capitol prior to González’s arrival. They were particularly rankled that a popular, forthright lobbyist chosen to Puerto Rico’s Us senate for the very first time was not permitted inside the Capitol, with the political elections compensation noting he had actually not yet been formally licensed.
Objecting the event was Yara Humarán Martínez, a water physiotherapist whose 83-year-old mommy continues to be without power.
” I do not have any type of hope that she will certainly alter anything,” she claimed of the brand-new guv.
González has actually guaranteed to select a power “czar” to examine possible legal violations while an additional driver is located to potentially change Luma Power, a personal firm that looks after the transmission and circulation of power in Puerto Rico.
Nevertheless, no agreement can be terminated without previous authorization from Puerto Rico’s Power Bureau and a government control panel that looks after the island’s funds.
Failures were still being reported on Thursday as teams attempted to maintain the grid complying with the power outage that struck very early Tuesday, leaving 1.3 million clients at night as Puerto Ricans gotten ready for New Year’s Eve.
While electricity had been restored to 99% of the energy’s 1.47 million overall clients, greater than 600,000 were briefly left without power on New Year’s Day when component of the system fell down once more, according to Luma.
” The security of the system is breakable,” Luma claimed late Wednesday as it alerted of even more blackouts on Thursday provided a recurring absence of generation. “We understand and comprehend just how annoying it is for our customers to be without solution for extended periods of time.”
Back-up generators were implemented to guarantee a smooth swearing-in event on Thursday considered that popular artists were arranged to execute.
The awaited entertainment was particular of González, a 48-year-old lawyer and current mommy of doubles that before the political election turned up at her celebration’s setting up putting on a Wonder Female a pretty tiara and cuffs. She additionally made the information after peeling off out of among her celebration’s conventions in an off-road car previously this year.
Fans and movie critics collected for the event, some gripping umbrellas to protect themselves from the blistering sunlight.
” Due to the fact that she’s a lady, she’s mosting likely to be an excellent guv,” claimed Amanda Sánchez León, a retired public servant, that showed up 2 hours early to safeguard a place outside a location scheduled for visitors. She claimed she was enthusiastic that González would certainly decrease terrible criminal activities and enhance education and learning and wellness, “particularly for us older individuals.” She additionally thought the power situation would certainly enhance which González would certainly see her pledges via.
” Individuals are enduring,” Sánchez claimed.
Likewise sustaining the brand-new guv was Lizbeth Rodríguez, a college registered nurse, that thought that as a mom, González would certainly focus on the island’s weak education and learning system and take on criminal activity.
Yet Rodríguez continues to be rankled at what she thinks is the misspending of federal government cash.
” That’s what troubles individuals. You’re doing penalty, sure, yet check out us,” she claimed.
González, of the pro-statehood New Progressive Event, had actually defeated previous Gov. Pedro Pierluisi during their party’s primary in June.
At the time, she was Puerto Rico’s rep in Congress and had actually worked on Pierluisi’s ticket 4 years back.
After defeating him, she won the Nov. 5 basic political election with greater than 526,000 ballots, or 41%. Tracking her was Juan Dalmau, that stood for Puerto Rico’s Self-reliance Event and the Person Triumph Activity.
It was the very first time that the Popular Democratic Event, which sustains the island’s territorial status and is just one of Puerto Rico’s 2 major celebrations, came in third in a gubernatorial race.
While González’s instant obstacle is Puerto Rico’s breakable power grid, she additionally acquires a weak economic climate that has actually gradually been enhancing considering that the united state area’s federal government proclaimed in 2015 that it was incapable to pay its greater than $70 billion public financial debt lots.
In 2017, it applied for the greatest united state local insolvency in background.
Just about one federal government firm has actually considering that reorganized its financial debt, with Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authoritystill struggling to do so It holds greater than $9 billion in the red, the biggest of any type of federal government firm.
Specialists alert the island will certainly maintain battling to bring in capitalists till the financial debt is reorganized and the power grid reinforced.
González additionally will certainly need to function together with a government control panel that united state Congress produced in 2016 to supervise Puerto Rico’s funds and manage the recurring restoration after Hurricane María banged right into the island in September 2017 as an effective Group 4 tornado, tearing down the electric grid.
She additionally encounters stress to develop inexpensive real estate, reduced power costs and the basic price of living, decrease terrible criminal activity, increase Puerto Rico’s economic climate, with the island shut out of resources markets considering that 2015, and enhance a hopping healthcare system as hundreds of medical professionals group to the united state landmass.
Like various other guvs of the pro-statehood celebration, González has actually claimed she would certainly promote Puerto Rico to come to be the 51st state, yet such an adjustment would certainly call for authorization from united state Congress and the united state head of state.
A nonbinding vote held throughout the Nov. 5 political election, the 7th of its kind, asked citizens to select among 3 alternatives: statehood, freedom and freedom with cost-free organization, under which problems like international events, united state citizenship and use the united state buck would certainly be worked out.
With 63% of citizens getting involved, statehood gained greater than 615,000 ballots, or 59%, with freedom being available in 2nd for the very first time with greater than 309,000 ballots, or 29%. Self-reliance with cost-free organization gathered greater than 128,000 ballots, or 12%.
While Puerto Ricans are united state residents, they are not permitted to enact governmental political elections, and authorities with the New Progressive Event have actually kept in mind the island obtains unequal therapy when it involves Medicaid, Medicare and various other government programs.
” Statehood implies equal rights, and I desire us to have that accessibility to chances,” González claimed. “I wish to have those chances below to make sure that our individuals can progress.”
