Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez has announced that she does not want the position of governor after Ricardo Rosselló.
What We Know:
- In the midst of Rosselló’s resignation due to his disrespectful chat messages with other advisors, Vázquez was asked to take the position due to her being next in line (there is no secretary of state).
- However, Vázquez tweeted an announcement Sunday afternoon stating, “I reiterate, I have no interest in occupying the position of Governor…I hope that the Governor identifies and submits a candidate for the position of Secretary of State before August 2 and I have told him so.”
- Now, Rosselló has less than a week to find a Secretary of State to fill the position. After Vázquez, next in line is Francisco Pares, the Treasury Secretary, who is too young to be governor (he is 31 and the minimum age is 35). After Pares is the Education Secretary Eligio Hernandez, who told a local radio station Monday that he was focused on his current role.
- Numerous citizens, including officials, have complained about Vázquez taking the position due to her close proximity to Rosselló.
- “In every scandal we’ve had on the island, she failed to investigate. She covered it up,” House Minority Leader Representative Rafael Hernandez said in a telephone interview. “That’s why nobody wanted her to become governor.”
- Despite what others have said, she has denied any wrongdoings — but a mass demonstration has been called for Monday outside Vasquez’s office to call for her resignation.
The pressure is on to find a new leader.
