Puerto Rico’s new Governor promises brighter future
 |
|
Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuño
|
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico-THE recently elected Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuño was sworn into office Friday (Jan. 2) and said that under his leadership the U.S. territory would enter a new era of rebuilding and prosperity.
“The time has come to take lessons from the past and face the future, and today we are one people, ready to stand up to one of the most difficult situations of our lives. The task won't be easy, but together we can create a better Puerto Rico,” the new Governor said during his speech at the swearing in ceremony.
Puerto Rico currently runs over a billion dollar budget deficit, is suffering a recession and has a rapidly climbing murder rate, but Fortuño said that if the Puerto Rican people can pull together he believes they can “straighten out our economy and rescue our values”.
To obtain these goals, the new Governor said he planned to reduce the nation’s tax rate, boost private sector job creation and build community policing infrastructure.
Fortuño went as far as to set an example of his new style of leadership at the ceremony by spending only $487,000 for the event, reportedly half of the cost of the outgoing Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá’s inauguration expenses.
The New Progressive Party President was cheered on at the inauguration by thousands of his supporters, including celebrity Jennifer Lopez, singer Marc Anthony and Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández. ~~Adz:Right~~
Many political commentators have placed high expectations on the new leader after he received a resounding mandate of roughly 52.78 percent of the electorate in the November 4 elections against Acevedo Vilá.
The exiting governor will now continue his battle with federal prosecutors over nearly twenty charges of corruption and financial impropriety which were brought against him by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in March of last year.
Puerto Rico News