Embedded Files
The 1980 Puerto Rican Gubernatorial Election, an election that resulted in the close reelection of incumbent Governor Carlos Romero Barceló against former Governor Rafael Hernández Colón, whom was unseated in 1976
Romero in his reelection faced a worsening economy and an increasing amount of violence based on Status, with U.S. Bases and police officers being attacked and killed by pro-independence activists.
This coincided with the Police orchestrated Cerro Maravilla Massacre, which hurt Carlos Romero as at the time there as division as to whether or not the killing of two independentistas - who were alleged to be plotting a terrorist attack on a telecomunications tower - was justified .
(It would later to be found that the massacre at Cerro Maravilla wasn't Justified and that the Police had both influenced the men to desire to commit the act and killed the two men in cold blood when they posed no threat to anyone as a false flag attack to harm the independence movement, Carlos Romero Barceló and most other high ranking officials in the Executive branch were not found guilty).
However, Romero would win in part due to the fact that the PPD was in mourning and unenthused due to the fact that their Grand Leader, founder, and long time governor of Puerto Rico, Don Luis Muñoz Marín died in April 30, 1980.
This lack of enthusiasm from the PPD, mixed with the PNP's strength in the San Juan Metro and Ponce, ended up allowing the party to keep the election close and win by a 0.19% Margin, and 3,037 votes, one of the closest in Puerto Rican History.
Because of the close margin, and the fact that Romero and the PNP had changed the Electoral code in 1979, just over a year before the election - making it hard to get proper administration in place, and leading to unclear voter rolls...
...These factors led to allegations of Fraud by the PPD - both due to the small margin, and the controvercial and unsecure aspects of electoral change (that was done over their protests)...
... In addition to the fact that durring the night of the election, whilst the ballots were being counted, a few Boxes - not fully accounted for that helped Put Romero over the top - were discovered after a power outage in the facility, and were then added to the final tally.
These ballots were adjudicated, but the SCOPR held that they were valid and certified Carlos Romero Barceló as the governor elected in the 1980 elections.
In the end though, most people do agree that Carlos Romeró Barceló did steal the election, with the electoral change providing both the Public Relations and legal cover for them to add the fraudulent ballots that put the incumbent over the top.
1980 Governor By Senate Districts
1980 Governor By House Districts
The PNP found better luck in the resident commissioner's Election, with Baltasar Corrada Del Río winning by a relatively more comfortable 0.66% over José Arsenio.
The fact that Com. Corrada Del Río did better than Romero Barceló is likely due to him being less controvercial due to him not being as entangled in the scandals and discontent that Plagued the PNP in this term, allowing him to scate by relatively unscathed - uniformly over-performing CRB.
1980 Resident Commissioner By Senate Districts
1980 Resident Commissioner By House Districts
The Closeness of the elections extended to multiple mayoralties as well, with the TSDPR (SCOPR) deciding in favor of the PPD, the mayoralties of, Aguas Buenas, Trujillo Alto, Barranquitas, Caguas y Juana diaz, 5 of which were gains for the party.
By and large however, the Mayoral elections were a failure for the PNP, being reduced to 28 mayoralties, down from 38 mayoralties in 1976
The Senate elections present the Cleanest Win by the PPD, securing a 15-12 Majority of the upper chaimbet thanks to gaining both seats in the Ponce district, whilst holding all the the ones they had in 1976.
Interestingly, This was a similar way they just barely held the senate in 1968, Where the PNP won 6/11 At large Districts to the PPD's 5/11, and then only winning 3 Senate districts to the PPD's 5.
(With the Diference being the fact the PNP won Ponce in 1968, and the Carolina district did not exist in until 1972, 8 years before the election)
Unlike the senate elections, there was much controversy in the House elections, with the PPD challenging the result in District 35(Norte Ceiba, Viequez, Culebra, Fajardo, Luquillo y Río Grande) (which was resolved in their favor), the death of the Rep from Distr. 31(Caguas), and the impugnation the election of one of the PPD's at large representatives.
This resulted in 3 vacancies at the begining of the Term, unnoficially giving controll of the House of Representatives (25-23-3) to the PNP, however the PPD officially gained the house later in the term once all the seats were filled.
It should be noted that despite the vacancies, the PPD gained the house thanks to the small amount of ticket splitting in the close election for district 16 (Aguadilla-Moca Norte), which CRB won in the Gov election, but was carried by the District PPD.
In addition to this, the PNP was reduced to only the seats in the PNP stronghold of the San Juan Metro, as well as a few outlying ceats in the other PNP strongholds of the center of the Coldillero Central, Arecibo, Ponce, and Las Piedras/San Lorenzo.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse