Puerto Rico’s newly installed Gov. Pedro Pierluisi faces a legal challenge to his authority, further muddling the U.S. territory’s leadership and extending a period of political disarray, the Wall Street Journal reported. Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz sued Pierluisi in a San Juan court yesterday, two days after he was sworn in, claiming that he usurped the office by ignoring a constitutional requirement. Pierluisi was confirmed Friday as secretary of state, first in line of succession to the governorship, by Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives — but not by the Senate. He was then sworn in as governor when the resignation of his predecessor, Ricardo Rosselló, took effect at 5 p.m. Friday. The lawsuit, arguing that Senate confirmation is required, seeks an injunction stripping Pierluisi’s claim to office and stopping him from carrying out the functions of governor. Pierluisi rose to power under a cloud of legal uncertainty during a chaotic period that has fractured the majority New Progressive Party. As he replaces Rosselló, Puerto Rico’s first sitting governor to resign, he has only a tenuous claim to power and is viewed skeptically by lawmakers and the public. Hoping to shore up his claim to office and prevent a constitutional crisis, Pierluisi said on Friday that he would continue seeking approval from the Senate. If the chamber voted him down, he said, he would step aside in favor of Wanda Vázquez, Puerto Rico’s secretary of justice.
