Puerto Rico: Politics, Mainland Style

Three decades ago, Roberto Sánchez Vilella forswore the engineering career for which he had been trained and, at the invitation of Luis Muñoz Marin, entered Puerto Rican politics. Muñoz’s Popular Democratic Party prospered. Its founder became so revered and pow erful a figure that when, in 1964, he relinquished the governorship after 16 years, he had no difficulty anointing Sánchez, his protégé and closest ad viser, as his successor. Last week Sánchez formally broke with his old men tor by announcing that he would run for a second term this year — against Muñoz’s wishes.

Sánchez’s declaration was a shocker on a number of counts. When he took command of the Governor’s palace, La Fortaleza, Sánchez was eager to carry on his predecessor’s social and economic development programs. He was just as anxious to end the Latino tradition of one-man rule in Puerto Rico. He set out to make the Popular Democratic leadership more popular, more democratic and younger; inevitably, he made enemies.

Underground Governor. Then, in a far more shattering challenge to Puerto Rican tradition, Sánchez announced to his Roman Catholic constituency a year ago that he was divorcing his wife of 30 years to marry a beautiful younger woman, Jeannette Ramos, 35. At the same time, he said he would retire after his current term. The angry reaction virtually drove Sánchez underground for a time. During last summer’s plebiscite campaign over Puerto Rico’s legal status, Muñoz, now 70 and in semi-retirement as a senator, came back into the arena to marshal the P.D.P.’s successful fight to keep Puerto Rico a commonwealth.

After his remarriage in September, Sánchez, 55, regained his confidence. By January, he prepared a visionary message to the legislature that had all the earmarks of a re-election platform. But by the time he delivered it, Senator Muñoz had already given an unofficial state-of-the-commonwealth speech in which he spoke approvingly of Sánchez’s plans to retire. The challenge to Sánchez was clear.

Two other candidates for the P.D.P. nomination immediately surfaced: Senate Majority Leader Luis Negrón López, 58, and Santiago Polanco Abreu, 47, the island’s commissioner in Washington. Waiting to profit from the P.D.P.’s current split is Industrialist Luis Ferré, head of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party.

Despite the odds, Sánchez predicted: “I will win if the people are allowed to decide.” To make that possible, Sánchez is attempting to expand the primary election system, now restricted to lower offices, to include the governorship. Otherwise, the August convention will be controlled by the party organization. The outcome is uncertain; never before has Puerto Rico gone through a political brawl, mainland style.