"SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The woman who is supposed to replace Puerto Rico’s embattled governor announced Sunday that she doesn’t want the job as the U.S. territory reels from political crisis.
Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez said in a Twitter post that she hopes Gov. Ricardo Rosselló will appoint a secretary of state before resigning Aug. 2 as planned.
Former Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marín would have been next in line as governor, according to the U.S. territory’s constitution.But he is one of more than a dozen officials who have resigned in recent weeks
Marín’s resignation had left Vázquez as next in line to be governor.
But she said she has already told Rosselló about her wishes not to get the job, creating a chaotic scenario about who will be Puerto Rico’s next leader.
If Rosselló’s choice for a secretary of state is not approved by the island’s House and Senate, Puerto Rico’s law dictates the treasury secretary would be next in line if the justice secretary doesn’t become governor.
But current Treasury Secretary Francisco Parés is too young at 31 years old.
The constitution dictates the person would have to be at least 35, so that would leave interim Education Secretary Eligio Hernández next in line.
He replaced former education secretary Julia Keleher, who resigned in April and was arrested July 10 on federal corruption charges.
...Vázquez’s comments came less than an hour after Public Affairs Secretary Anthony Maceira resigned.
...The announcement comes a day before Puerto Ricans planned another march, this time against Vázquez, who is accused of not ordering an investigation into the alleged mismanagement of supplies for hurricane victims, among other things.
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