Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Justice Wanda Vazquez was sworn in as the island’s third governor in less than a week Wednesday just hours after Pedro Pierluisi’s appointment was invalidated by the Supreme Court.
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“I am willing to assume with the responsibility and seriousness the position of Governor of Puerto Rico, as the island needs certainty and stability,” Vazquez said in a statement.
According to the island’s constitution, the Secretary of State is the second in the line of succession, but in case no one fills the position, the Secretary of Justice becomes the third option to hold office.
On July 28, Vazquez said he didn’t want the job, leaving room for former-governor Ricardo Rossello to appoint Pierluisi as Secretary of State, and sworn in as governor last Friday.
However, on Wednesday in a unanimous decision, the nine-member high court nullified his governorship based on the fact his earlier appointment as secretary of state and next in line for governor had not been confirmed by both chambers of the legislature.
Pierluisi has said he would abide by the supreme court's decision, adding, “I must step aside and support the Justice Secretary of Puerto Rico, the Honorable Wanda Vazquez Garced.”
As political turmoil continues to unfold in Puerto Rico, its citizens do not agree with Vazquez’s appointment, as she is also being probed for corruption allegations. Protests are expected to continue against her.
The former secretary of justice and new governor has a record of misconduct herself and is being investigated for having turned a blind eye to possible corruption surrounding relief provisions provided to the island nearly two years ago after Hurricane Maria devasted much of its territory.
Allegations read that she failed to execute probes into these suspicious accounts. Others have noted Vazquez’s close relationship to Rossello who appointed her as secretary of justice in 2017. There's talk she shielded Rossello throughout her tenure.
“What we’re investigating is her alleged denial or refusal to investigate these claims as secretary of justice,” said Puerto Rico’s Executive Director of Government Ethics, Zulma Rosario on July 27.
The on-going political crisis in Puerto Rico is the result of an 889-page document, released by the non-profit journalism group Center for Investigative Journalism. The file revealed Rossello led a racist, misogynist smear campaign against his competitors and journalists. As well as allegations of corruption and mishandling of public funds in his administration.
After 12 days of consecutive protests, where thousands of Puerto Ricans took to the street, Rossello announced his resignation despite his hesitancy to do so a few days before.