Puerto Rico political crisis deepens

The outgoing governor’s choice for secretary of state and possibly the next governor is unlikely to be approved.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s political crisis appeared to deepen Wednesday as the island’s outgoing governor and legislators — including those from his own party — clashed over who should be the next leader of a U.S. territory unbalanced by massive protests.

The upheaval has raised fears that a government in chaos will have trouble negotiating for more federal funding for recovery from Hurricane Maria and coping with the island’s grave economic woes.

Gov. Ricardo Rossello announced that he had chosen Puerto Rico’s former nonvoting representative to Congress, Pedro Pierluisi, as his secretary of state — a post that would put Pierluisi in line to be governor when Rossello steps down Friday.

But he’s unlikely to be approved by legislators, several of whom proposed instead naming Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, a declared candidate for the 2020 governor’s election.

Some lawmakers complained about Pierluisi’s work for a law firm that represents the federal control board that was created to oversee Puerto Rico’s finances before the territory, saddled with more than $70 billion in public debt, declared a sort of bankruptcy. Pierluisi’s brother-in-law also heads the board, which has clashed repeatedly with Rossello and other elected officials over demands for austerity measures.

“That’s a serious conflict of interest,” Rep. Jose Enrique Melendez said.

Rep. Milagros Charbonier and House of Representatives President Johnny Mendez also said they would vote against Pierluisi and urged Rossello to instead nominate Rivera Schatz. All three legislators are members of Rossello’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party.

Mendez has said Pierluisi does not have the votes needed in the House of Representatives.

“The situation could not be more complicated,” said Sen. Jose Antonio Vargas Vidot, who ran for Senate as an independent. “This is absurd, what we’re going through. We never thought something like this could happen. In an extraordinary crisis, we have to take extraordinary measures.”

Sen. Eduardo Bhatia bitterly accused Rivera Schatz of trying to maneuver himself into the top job.

“This attitude of (Rivera Schatz) taking the island hostage is very dangerous,” Bhatia tweeted. ‘ “It’s him or no one’ is in keeping with what has been a life silencing and destroying democracy.”

Rossello has said he will resign Friday, bowing to the demands of massive protests by Puerto Ricans frustrated with corruption, mismanagement and an obscenity-laced chat that was leaked in which Rossello and 11 other men made fun of women, gay people and victims of Hurricane Maria.

More than a dozen officials have resigned in the wake of the chat, including former Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marin.

By law, the secretary of state would take over if the governor resigns, but if someone is not named by Friday, Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez would be next in line. She has said she doesn’t want the job.

Meanwhile, Rivera Schatz, whose spokeswoman said he was not granting interviews, said in a Facebook post Wednesday that all problems have solutions and that Puerto Rico should be focused on finding them.

“We should promote unity, not discord,” he wrote.

Legislators were expected to meet Thursday to debate Pierluisi’s nomination, which must be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Political analyst Annabelle Colberg Toro said Pierluisi has proven to be a conciliatory leader in the past and warned that Puerto Rico needs stability soon.

“People want a return to normalcy,” she said. “We are experiencing a paralysis in which no one knows what’s going to happen next.”

Pierluisi represented Puerto Rico in Congress from 2009-2017 and then ran against Rossello in the 2016 primaries and lost.

SAUL LOEB/GETTY-AFP 2013 The choice of Pedro Pierluisi, center, as secretary of state and possibly as the next governor has drawn criticism.