Puerto Rican governor loses reelection

Puerto Rico’s embattled governor lost his reelection bid as he’s been caught in the middle of scandal.

Just a short moment ago, Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vila conceded and congratulated the New Progressive Party’s (PNP) Luis Fortuño for winning today. Though a recent poll indicated a tight race between Vila and Fortuño, the latest official figures have Fortuño winning by nearly 10%.

Acevedo Vilá’s term has been hurt be a federal investigation into alleged election fraud and corruption. Yet it also appears that the weakening economy on the island may have been the main factor in Fortuño’s win:

At least 60,000 people have lost manufacturing jobs in recent years on the island, an unprecedented sales tax hit wallets hard, murders are on the rise and the island never quite recovered economically from a fiscal crisis two years ago that furloughed state workers…

''These are hard times in Puerto Rico. Aníbal hasn't done a thing for [Puerto Rico],'' said single mother Wanda Hernandez, 45, of Bayamón. ``There's little work, and the price of everything has gone up.''

Acevedo Vila is allied to the Democratic Party and he backed Barack Obama’s presidential bid. Conversely, Fortuño is a member of the Republicans and a supporter of John McCain’s campaign.

Fortuño’s victory could be vital in terms of Puerto Rico’s future political status; Acevedo Vilá’s party backed commonwealth status for the island while the PNP prefers statehood.

Image- Univision
Sources (English)- The Latin Americanist, miamiherald.com, Wikipedia, seattlepi.com, Angus Reid Consultants
Sources (Spanish)- Union Radio, El Caribe