Puerto Rico gets 3rd governor in 5 days of crisis
The Puerto Rico Supreme Court threw the leadership of the island into new turmoil Wednesday, ruling that the governor who took over last week, Pedro Pierluisi, was sworn in on unconstitutional grounds.
The unanimous ruling ousted Pierluisi and paved the way for Wanda Vázquez, the secretary of justice, to take the oath of office as Puerto Rico’s third governor in five days.
With her husband and daughter by her side, Vázquez was sworn in by Chief Justice Maite D. Oronoz Rodríguez at the Supreme Court in San Juan, the capital.
“Puerto Rico needs certainty and stability,” Vázquez, who had previously said she did not want the job, said in a statement before her swearing-in. She became the second female governor in Puerto Rican history.
The 29-page ruling said Pierluisi could not remain as governor and called for “an orderly succession.”
Shortly before 5 p.m., Pierluisi said he would step aside. He had earlier left La Fortaleza, the governor’s official residence, in a black SUV with tinted windows.
“I want to be clear that the only motivation I have had during this time, as always, has been the well-being of Puerto Rico,” he said in a statement, in which he wished Vázquez well in her new role. “This is a time when we must all unite for Puerto Rico, leaving behind any partisan, ideological or personal agendas.”
The court ruled in favor of the Puerto Rico Senate, which sued late Sunday asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction against Pierluisi taking over the office of chief executive. He became governor Friday, even though he had not been confirmed as secretary of state by both chambers of the Legislative Assembly. Only the House of Representatives approved his recess appointment.
To justify Pierluisi’s ascent to the governor’s seat, Pierluisi and his predecessor, Ricardo Rosselló, cited a 2005 statute that said the secretary of state did not require legislative confirmation to step in as governor. On Wednesday, the court declared that portion of the law unconstitutional. The rest of the law, regarding the line of succession, is valid, the court found.
“The constitution requires the advice and consent of both chambers,” said Yanira Reyes Gil, a constitutional scholar and associate law professor at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. “It is a basic principle of constitutional law that the constitution takes precedence.”