Puerto Rico governor won’t seek reelection

Leaked online chats spurred protests, calls to resign

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said Sunday evening that he will not resign in the face of public furor over an obscenity-laced leaked online chat, but he will not seek reelection or continue as head of his pro-statehood political party.

Protesters said they were not satisfied by Rosselló’s concessions, and pledged to continue demonstrations that have filled the streets of Old San Juan for more than a week.

In a brief video posted on Facebook, Rosselló also said he looked forward to defending himself against the process of impeachment, whose initial stages are being explored by Puerto Rico’s legislature.

The 889 pages of chat between the governor and 11 close allies and members of his administration, all men, showed the governor and his close advisers insulting women and mocking constituents, including the victims of Hurricane Maria.

Since the chat leaked July 13, hundreds of thousands of outraged Puerto Ricans have marched to Rosselló’s official residence in the largest protest movement on the island since Puerto Ricans successfully demonstrated to demand an end to U.S. Navy military training on the island of Vieques more than 15 years ago.

Puerto Rico’s justice secretary, Wanda Vázquez, would assume the governor’s role under the territorial constitution’s line of succession if Rosselló should quit.

The upheaval comes as the U.S. territory is struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria and trying to restructure part of $70 billion in debt amid a 13-year recession in this territory more than 3 million American citizens who do not have full representation in Congress or a vote for president.

This morning, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans were expected to take over one of the island’s main highways to demand Rosselló’s resignation as legislators considered whether to take the first steps of the impeachment process.