On Thursday, September 29, 2016, the Students’ Association of Political Science (AECIPO) held an activity called “Proceso de Endoso: Candidatos Independientes.” This activity was part of Political Science Week, a week full of activities in order to educate the student body about the importance politics has on their everyday lives. The participants for this activity were Manuel Cidre and Alexandra Lúgaro, both independent candidates for governor, and José Vargas Vidot, an independent candidate to senator.
The activity’s promotional poster.
The activity took place at the Nursing building’s amphitheater and began at 6:00 PM. As soon as I arrived, I encountered a huge line of people waiting to get inside the amphitheater, and you could see the excitement in people’s faces waiting to get in. Inside, it was jam-packed, and there were even people standing up around the back of the room. As the event began, I looked around and Lúgaro was nowhere to be found. The event’s moderator explained that she was going to be late because of traffic, but that she was attending. The activity provided the candidates with a forum to talk about the process of collecting endorsements and explain their political platforms.
First up was Manuel Cidre. He is mostly known for being the founder of the company Los Cidrines. In addition, he has collaborated with many philanthropic and administrative organizations and has been recognized for his entrepreneurship by winning various awards. He announced his aspirations to become Governor of Puerto Rico on November 9, 2015. Immediately after announcing it, he began the task of recollecting endorsements, which for an independent candidate aspiring for governor, the number of endorsements necessary is 26,832. The candidates had from December 1, 2015 until February 15, 2016 to recollect the endorsements. To meet the goal, Cidre, along with his wife Anabelle and his sister-in-law, organized a team of approximately 50 volunteers in order to collect the endorsements. Finally, he met and surpassed the required number, gathering 32,280 endorsements and becoming the first independent candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico.
Manuel Cidre speaking to students.
Cidre also explained his decision to sue the State Election Commission (CEE), because of the unequal treatment that independent candidates had in the election ballot. He recalled that, at the hearing, one of the lawyers said, “If [Cidre] wants to have equal rights, he should form a political party.” This made him more determined to pursue the candidacy. Additionally, Cidre presented his proposals, which included having a government that’s closer to the people and attends their needs closely; depoliticizing the public sector; improve the Department of Education; and promoting the creation of local businesses and exporting their products worldwide. Cidre spoke with ease; he walked around the front of the amphitheater, and captured people’s interest. He didn’t use the microphone; his clear and commanding voice displayed his compromise with helping Puerto Rico.
After Cidre, it was Dr. José Vargas Vidot’s turn to speak. Vargas is running for senator as an independent candidate. He is a doctor, activist, and community leader, who has spent most of his life helping under-privileged communities. He is also the founder of Iniciativa Comunitaria, an organization that provides free care to drug addicts in Puerto Rico. Vargas Vidot announced his aspirations to run for Senate on September 2015, and was met with the news that in order to be an independent candidate for Senate, he needed to recollect 53,700 endorsements. To this day, he has no idea where the number comes from, and states that “these numbers discourage people who genuinely want to serve the country.” If chosen as a senator, Vargas Vidot is committed to fight for the homeless, the inmates, and people who politicians typically forget about. He proposes citizen participation and promises to work for people’s best interest.
Dr. José Vargas Vidot addresing the students.
Finally, it was Lcda. Alexandra Lúgaro’s turn. Lúgaro has worked closely with the Department of Education, has been at the helm of businesses, and a lawyer for the past ten years. While explaining her decision to run for office, she recalled that one day, she was at her house with her family watching television and criticizing the government’s decisions. She decided that if she wanted to see a change in Puerto Rican politics, she would begin that change herself. She chose to run as an independent candidate, because she didn’t want to advance a political party’s agenda; instead, she wanted to work on improving Puerto Rico.
Lúgaro conversing with the students.
Lúgaro described the process of recollecting the 28,832 endorsements as a long, exhausting but gratifying one, where she had the opportunity to visit areas of Puerto Rico, attend festivals, and meet people she otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity of meeting. Lúgaro also expressed her desire to help Puerto Rico, but by being herself. She recounts an experience she had at a concert, where a person came up to her and told her, “I was going to vote for you, but now I’m not because I don’t want my governor to go to these concerts.” She recalls people’s need to have a “perfect” governor, with a perfect family, and called candidates like this “fabricated.” She also recalled the experiences she has had with Puerto Rican media, which she claims is dominated by political parties. There have been times that journalists have purposefully distorted her words in order to harm her image.
Among Lúgaro’s proposals are those to encourage economic development by promoting foreign investment; reinforcing tourism from different areas, not just beaches; legalizing marijuana in order to reduce the crime rate; promoting rehabilitation of inmates; emulating successful education systems, such as Finland’s and South Korea’s; and most importantly, the de-politicization of the public sector. When asked why people should vote for her and not Manuel Cidre, she pointed out that although Cidre has great entrepreneurial knowledge, she has worked closely with many sectors of the government, and has knowledge on governmental procedures.
The activity was scheduled to end at 8:00pm but extended until about 9:30pm. Nevertheless, most of the students remained in the activity with an interest in the candidates. Students all around the amphitheater were greatly engaged with the candidates, and all around, the activity was a success.