With only hours before Puerto Rico’s disgraced governor was set to step down on Friday, the bankrupt U.S. territory still did not know who would succeed him, Reuters reported. Over a week ago, Governor Ricardo Rosselló bowed to 12 days of mass protests sparked by offensive chat messages and said he would resign at 5 p.m. on Friday. Street protesters vowed to topple the next in line for the job, Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez, owing to her position in an administration dogged by corruption scandals. Critical of the federal response to deadly 2017 hurricanes and a federally created board overseeing the island’s bankruptcy, protesters demanded a new governor represent their interests, not those of the U.S. government or Puerto Rico’s political elite. So when Rosselló tapped Pedro Pierluisi, the island’s former representative in the U.S. Congress and who worked for the unpopular fiscal control board, as his successor, he was rejected both on the streets and by leaders of the ruling party, who had their eyes on retaining power in the 2020 elections. Rosselló nominated Pierluisi as his secretary of state, a position that would put him next in line to succeed the governor, an appointment that requires approval by the legislature.
