Puerto Rican governor chooses his successor
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, chose his successor Wednesday, nominating Pedro Pierluisi, who formerly represented the island in Congress, to serve as secretary of state. The move positions Pierluisi to take over as governor when Rossello’s resignation becomes effective this week.
“After much analysis and taking into account the best interests of our people, I have selected Mr. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia to fill the secretary of state vacancy,” Rossello said in a statement. He said he would call a special session of the Legislative Assembly today, the day before he is scheduled to step down, to confirm the appointment.
Rossello said he considered several choices and ultimately picked Pierluisi for his experience as resident commissioner in Washington and as secretary of justice under Rossello’s father, former Gov. Pedro Rossello.
The younger Rossello said that Pierluisi intends to serve through the end of the term but would not seek the governor’s office in 2020.
“His aspiration is to complete this term, so that the successes we have achieved do not disappear,” Rossello said. “The electoral process that will begin in the coming months will allow other highly qualified leaders to put their ideas and character to the people’s consideration, as Pierluisi and I did in the last primary.”
If he is confirmed by the territory’s House and Senate, Pierluisi’s nomination would settle the complicated succession question that has thrown the island into uncertainty in the days since Rossello’s resignation announcement. He announced his imminent exit on July 24, under fire for his participation in a leaked exchange of profane text messages and pressured by an uprising of Puerto Ricans fed up with corruption, a stagnant economy and a poor response to Hurricane Maria in 2017.
But Pierluisi’s confirmation seems far from certain, as a tense power struggle continues inside the ruling New Progressive Party, which supports Puerto Rican statehood. The Senate president, Thomas Rivera Schatz, a contender for the secretary of state job, let it be known before the nomination was even official that Pierluisi would not have enough votes to win confirmation in the Senate.
Under Puerto Rico’s Constitution, the secretary of state automatically replaces a governor who leaves office. But the last official to hold the post, Luis Rivera Marin, stepped down over his role in the leaked private exchange of messages that precipitated the political crisis. His departure created a critical vacancy before Rossello’s resignation, which becomes effective at 5 p.m. Friday in Puerto Rico.
It left Wanda Vazquez, secretary of justice, next in line.
But Vazquez made clear that she was not a politician and preferred not to step in as governor. Hundreds of protesters, denouncing Vazquez’s close ties to Rossello, rallied outside the Justice Department on Monday, rejecting her as the governor’s successor and demanding that she, too, resign.
“I have listened to the people’s messages, their demonstrations, their demands and their concerns,” Pierluisi said in a statement accepting the nomination. “And in this new challenge in my life, I will only answer to the people.”
Bernardo Burgos Vazquez, 68, referred to concerns that Pierluisi, a lawyer, could have a conflict of interest because he works for a firm that does external legal consulting for the unelected federal oversight board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances. On Tuesday, Pierluisi was placed on a leave of absence from the law firm, O’Neill & Borges, according to the firm’s website.
In any case, it should not be a serious problem, Vazquez said.
Pierluisi’s ties to the unpopular oversight board are unlikely to sit well with some lawmakers.
If Pierluisi is not confirmed by Friday afternoon, then Wanda Vazquez will become governor.