Hooray! The residents of San Juan and surrounding areas were successful in ousting embattled Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló late last week. Now, they can’t seem to find someone to replace him.
Politics
A week of protests and marches that drew island natives Ricky Martin and Lin-Manuel Miranda turned into a stunning success. After initially refusing to resign, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló finally relented to the will of the people and vowed to step aside on August 2nd. The only problem is, there’s a kink in the line of succession.
Normally, the person who would have been next in line for the governor’s slot is Puerto Rico Secretary of State Luis Rivera MarÃn — however, he resigned earlier this month for being an accessory to the scandal that eventually took down Rosselló.
The next government official in line is Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez — however, she shocked everyone over the weekend by announcing that she has zero interest in assuming the job.
“I reiterate, I have no interest in occupying the position of governor,” Vázquez announced Sunday.
Apparently, Vazquez realized that her close connection to Rosselló would doom her tenure as governor from the start. She was also aware of a planned protest against her that was scheduled for Monday with the hashtag #WandaRenuncia (like #RickyRenuncia) to denounce her leadership.
Let’s look a bit further down the chain of command.
Treasury Secretary Francisco Parés Alicea would have been next in line behind Vazquez. However, seeing as though he’s only 31-years-old, he doesn’t meet the minimum required age of 35 to become governor.
Next would be Education Secretary Eligio Hernández Pérez. However, he is connected to 2 government officials who were arrested and charged in connection with a federal corruption investigation.
Then there’s another official who is, unfortunately, younger than the required minimum age requirement of 35.
This has become “a complicated game of musical chairs,” said NPR podcast editor Luis Trelles.
So, with the ouster of Rosselló, who can (and is willing to) become the next Puerto Rico governor?\
Getting rid of Rosselló was a big win for the small Caribbean commonwealth of the US. Now, it’s quickly becoming a huge headache.
The only logical solution appears to be an unfavorable one: permit departing Gov. Rosselló to appoint a new Secretary of State, who would then become governor on August 2nd when Rosselló officially steps down.
However, if the new Puerto Rico governor is nothing more than a Rosselló appointee, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of getting rid of the likes of Rosselló in the first place??
Well…thinking about the madness currently enveloping our own government (from the White House to the outhouse)..AND reading this post, brings to mind the proverbial saying:
“Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
The people Puerto Rico have a colossal mess on their hands (much like Us). And one can only hope and pray for a positive solution (much like Us) or they’ll be really screwed (much like Us).