Puerto Rico Had Three Governors in a Week. No. 4 Is on Deck

(Bloomberg) -- Just a day after Puerto Rico got its third governor in less than a week, the ruling party’s leaders are attempting to maneuver a new one into place. But No. 3 may not cede office easily to No. 4.

Former Governor Ricardo Rossello was forced to resign Friday after massive street protests over leaked text messages that disparaged regular Puerto Ricans. Then, his chosen successor, Pedro Pierluisi, was removed by the island’s Supreme Court because the local Senate didn’t act on his confirmation. And then Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez -- next in the line of succession -- was sworn in as the rightful governor.

At a Thursday press conference at Puerto Rico’s legislature following closed-door negotiations, leaders of the ruling New Progressive Party called for the commonwealth’s nonvoting representative in the U.S. Congress, Jenniffer Gonzalez, to assume the governorship and for Vasquez to resign.

“Those of us who are here are the elected government of Puerto Rico and represent the elected majority of the people of Puerto Rico,” said Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz. “Wanda Vazquez got there by constitutional provisions, not because of the support of anyone.”

Speaking to reporters in San Juan on Thursday, Gonzalez herself acknowledged that she’d been recruited by ruling party leaders in both the local Senate and House of Representatives as what she called a “consensus” candidate to run the island until elections in 2020. She said she could restore credibility in Washington, where the island depends on the federal government for hurricane recovery aid, among other things.

Gonzalez said the idea of stepping in emerged when it wasn’t entirely clear whether Vazquez would accept the governorship. Gonzalez said she personally called Vazquez on Sunday and told her to take the oath of office, and assured her that she would be willing to step in if need be. At that time, Pierluisi was still occupying the governor’s mansion, but his swearing-in had already come under fire from constitutional scholars.

A suit brought by the island’s Senate and Rivera Schatz forced Pierluisi out Wednesday.

For Gonzalez to become governor, Vazquez would have to name her to the No. 2 post, secretary of state. Gonzalez would have to be confirmed by both chambers of the legislature; then, Vazquez would have to resign.

Asked if she was ready to leave Washington to become secretary of state, Gonzalez replied “Yes, I’m willing.”

In a radio interview Thursday morning with WKAQ 580, Vazquez was asked repeatedly about reports that she had struck a secret deal to cede the governorship to Gonzalez. She insisted there was no such deal and denied that she planned to pave Gonzalez’s path to the territory’s highest office.

“I assumed the responsibility imposed on me by the constitution,” she said. “That is my north.”

Interviewer Ruben Sanchez warned that Rivera Schatz could make her life difficult. With a barren cabinet in the wake of Rossello’s administration’s scandal, a Vazquez administration would be dependent on legislative confirmation just to staff the various secretariats.

“I’m going to concentrate on my work,” she responded. “We will leave space for dialogue.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Michael Deibert in San Juan at mdeibert@bloomberg.net;Jonathan Levin in Miami at jlevin20@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael J. Moore at mmoore55@bloomberg.net, Stephen Merelman, William Selway

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.