SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Protesters gather behind La Fortaleza to protest the newly designated governor, a member of the outgoing governor's New Progressive Party (PNP), as he was sworn in, in San Juan, Puerto Rico on August 2, 2019. - Puerto Rico's governor Ricardo Rossello stepped down as planned on August 2 after being pushed out of office by massive street protests. While Puerto Ricans are delighted at Rossello's departure, many said they wanted completely new leadership for the territory. (Photo: ERIC ROJAS/AFP/Getty Images)
As Rossello Resigns, Renewed Protests Demand 'Real and Radical Change' Instead of Continued Austerity and Corruption
"We didn't demand the resignation of a corrupted government, for having another equally corrupted. We are demanding a real alternative."
Aug 03, 2019
Stepping down after mass protests over alleged corruption and leaked messages in which he denigrated women and LGBTQ people, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello appointed his secretary of state to succeed him--but elation over the success of the recent protests gave way to more demonstrations against the new governor.
Hundreds of Puerto Ricans marched to the governor's mansion Friday night, decrying the appointment of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi as an illegitimate continuation of Rossello's policies.
"We are demanding a real and radical change in [Puerto Rico], in the way that politics are done. We didn't demand the resignation of a corrupted government, for having another equally corrupted," Gabriel Nasario, a protester, told Al Jazeera. "We are demanding a real alternative."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) congratulated Puerto Ricans on forcing Rossello out of office and said the island must now "receive fair and responsive representation."
Pierluisi's term as governor could be very short-lived, as the Senate will vote to approve or reject his appointment on Monday. But critics are wary of the former secretary of state, who has ties to the federal oversight board which has pushed austerity policies as the island territory has struggled with a bankruptcy crisis in recent years and a recession that's gone on for more than a decade.
"He'll keep promoting policies of austerity, cutbacks, everything that the board says," Rosa Cifrian, a professor of nursing who attended the latest demonstrations, told Al Jazeera.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said Friday evening, hours after Pierluisi was sworn in, that her city would file a lawsuit challenging the new governor's appointment early Monday.
"On Monday at 8:00am the Municipality will be filing an appeal challenging the oath of Pierluisi," Yulin Cruz tweeted.
The ACLU's Puerto Rican chapter accused Pierluisi of "hijacking the constitution" by assuming the role of governor without the input of the territory's Senate.
Huffington Post climate reporter Alex Kaufman noted on Twitter that in addition to Pierluisi's ties to the federal oversight board, he is a former fossil fuel lobbyist and, like his predecessor, is in favor of privatizing the public power authority.
If the Senate does not ratify the new governorship on Monday, Pierluisi has said he will hand over the position to the current secretary of justice, Wanda Vasquez, who has come under scrutiny for corruption allegations of her own.
Women's rights groups allege that Vasquez failed to address gender-based violence issues on the island while she was head of Puerto Rico's women's affairs office. She has also been criticized for declining to investigate ethics violations of members of her own party and for her intervention in a theft case involving her son.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Stepping down after mass protests over alleged corruption and leaked messages in which he denigrated women and LGBTQ people, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello appointed his secretary of state to succeed him--but elation over the success of the recent protests gave way to more demonstrations against the new governor.
Hundreds of Puerto Ricans marched to the governor's mansion Friday night, decrying the appointment of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi as an illegitimate continuation of Rossello's policies.
"We are demanding a real and radical change in [Puerto Rico], in the way that politics are done. We didn't demand the resignation of a corrupted government, for having another equally corrupted," Gabriel Nasario, a protester, told Al Jazeera. "We are demanding a real alternative."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) congratulated Puerto Ricans on forcing Rossello out of office and said the island must now "receive fair and responsive representation."
Pierluisi's term as governor could be very short-lived, as the Senate will vote to approve or reject his appointment on Monday. But critics are wary of the former secretary of state, who has ties to the federal oversight board which has pushed austerity policies as the island territory has struggled with a bankruptcy crisis in recent years and a recession that's gone on for more than a decade.
"He'll keep promoting policies of austerity, cutbacks, everything that the board says," Rosa Cifrian, a professor of nursing who attended the latest demonstrations, told Al Jazeera.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said Friday evening, hours after Pierluisi was sworn in, that her city would file a lawsuit challenging the new governor's appointment early Monday.
"On Monday at 8:00am the Municipality will be filing an appeal challenging the oath of Pierluisi," Yulin Cruz tweeted.
The ACLU's Puerto Rican chapter accused Pierluisi of "hijacking the constitution" by assuming the role of governor without the input of the territory's Senate.
Huffington Post climate reporter Alex Kaufman noted on Twitter that in addition to Pierluisi's ties to the federal oversight board, he is a former fossil fuel lobbyist and, like his predecessor, is in favor of privatizing the public power authority.
If the Senate does not ratify the new governorship on Monday, Pierluisi has said he will hand over the position to the current secretary of justice, Wanda Vasquez, who has come under scrutiny for corruption allegations of her own.
Women's rights groups allege that Vasquez failed to address gender-based violence issues on the island while she was head of Puerto Rico's women's affairs office. She has also been criticized for declining to investigate ethics violations of members of her own party and for her intervention in a theft case involving her son.
Stepping down after mass protests over alleged corruption and leaked messages in which he denigrated women and LGBTQ people, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello appointed his secretary of state to succeed him--but elation over the success of the recent protests gave way to more demonstrations against the new governor.
Hundreds of Puerto Ricans marched to the governor's mansion Friday night, decrying the appointment of Gov. Pedro Pierluisi as an illegitimate continuation of Rossello's policies.
"We are demanding a real and radical change in [Puerto Rico], in the way that politics are done. We didn't demand the resignation of a corrupted government, for having another equally corrupted," Gabriel Nasario, a protester, told Al Jazeera. "We are demanding a real alternative."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) congratulated Puerto Ricans on forcing Rossello out of office and said the island must now "receive fair and responsive representation."
Pierluisi's term as governor could be very short-lived, as the Senate will vote to approve or reject his appointment on Monday. But critics are wary of the former secretary of state, who has ties to the federal oversight board which has pushed austerity policies as the island territory has struggled with a bankruptcy crisis in recent years and a recession that's gone on for more than a decade.
"He'll keep promoting policies of austerity, cutbacks, everything that the board says," Rosa Cifrian, a professor of nursing who attended the latest demonstrations, told Al Jazeera.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said Friday evening, hours after Pierluisi was sworn in, that her city would file a lawsuit challenging the new governor's appointment early Monday.
"On Monday at 8:00am the Municipality will be filing an appeal challenging the oath of Pierluisi," Yulin Cruz tweeted.
The ACLU's Puerto Rican chapter accused Pierluisi of "hijacking the constitution" by assuming the role of governor without the input of the territory's Senate.
Huffington Post climate reporter Alex Kaufman noted on Twitter that in addition to Pierluisi's ties to the federal oversight board, he is a former fossil fuel lobbyist and, like his predecessor, is in favor of privatizing the public power authority.
If the Senate does not ratify the new governorship on Monday, Pierluisi has said he will hand over the position to the current secretary of justice, Wanda Vasquez, who has come under scrutiny for corruption allegations of her own.
Women's rights groups allege that Vasquez failed to address gender-based violence issues on the island while she was head of Puerto Rico's women's affairs office. She has also been criticized for declining to investigate ethics violations of members of her own party and for her intervention in a theft case involving her son.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.