Frances Robles, Edmy Ayala and Patricia Mazzei

Rosselló waited until the minute his resignation became effective at 5 p.m. to say that it would be Pierluisi, the recently appointed secretary of state, who would take the oath of office.

The House of Representatives confirmed Pierluisi as secretary of state only an hour before Rosselló’s exit. But the Senate has yet to take up his nomination — leaving the legality of the appointment unclear — and at least one senator has said he intends to challenge Pierluisi’s ascent to the governor’s seat before Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court.

Under Puerto Rico’s Constitution, the secretary of state is supposed to take over when the governor steps down. Rosselló nominated Pierluisi, the island’s former nonvoting representative in Congress, to the position only on Wednesday. The House confirmation helped advance his position as successor.

But before 5 p.m., it was unclear if he would become governor — or whether the job would go to the next in line under the constitution, Wanda Vázquez, the secretary of justice.

Vázquez had said she has no interest in the governor’s position but would fulfill her constitutional duties as needed.

Police in riot gear filed into La Fortaleza, the governor’s official residence in San Juan, the capital, shortly before Pierluisi’s hearing concluded. When news of Pierluisi’s House confirmation reached protesters waving flags outside, they chanted, “¡No lo queremos!” — we don’t want him.

Rosselló was forced to resign last week following intense protests prompted by the publication of hundreds of mean and profane messages that the governor and members of his inner circle exchanged in a private group chat on the Telegram messaging app. The leaked chat unleashed a torrent of pent-up anger in Puerto Rico over financial mismanagement, broken promises and corruption.

During Friday’s confirmation hearing, which amounted to a rare job interview for a potential governor, Pierluisi, 60, called the chat scandal “sad and unfortunate.” He said he would forbid the sharing of sensitive government information with people outside his administration, as Rosselló’s aides did on Telegram.

“You will not find a public servant more committed, judicious and hardworking than me,” Pierluisi said.

At least one lawmaker, Sen. Eduardo Bhatia of the opposition Popular Democratic Party, said he was preparing a legal challenge if Pierluisi were sworn in.

“This is kindergarten in terms of leadership,” Bhatia said. “There is no way in hell someone like him, a secretary of state, can become governor unless he has been approved by both chambers.”

Carlos Méndez Núñez, the House speaker and a leader of the ruling New Progressive Party, said before the confirmation hearing that no matter the outcome, the governorship should go to Vázquez when Rosselló leaves office because Pierluisi has not been confirmed as secretary of state by the Senate.

In the House, it seemed unlikely at first that Pierluisi could overcome concerns from within the ranks of the New Progressives, who support statehood for Puerto Rico, about his potential conflicts of interest.

Until earlier this week, Pierluisi worked as a lawyer in private practice for a firm that was hired by the unpopular federal oversight board that manages Puerto Rico’s finances. The oversight board has repeatedly clashed with the Legislative Assembly over the imposition of austerity measures.

Pierluisi’s brother-in-law, José Carrión III, is the board’s chairman, though Pierluisi is in the middle of divorcing, according to Puerto Rico news reports.

But Pierluisi argued that his extensive knowledge of Promesa, the bankruptcy law that Congress wrote to create the board, as well as his contacts on the board and on Capitol Hill, made him more qualified to serve as governor.

“Who better than me to advocate for our people before the board?” Pierluisi said. “Who better than me to lead the process for the board to leave? That’s what we all want.”

Pierluisi received the minimum 26 votes needed for confirmation, winning support despite the ‘No’ vote from Méndez Núñez. He also faces strong opposition from Thomas Rivera Schatz, the powerful Senate president who wants to run for governor himself next year. Rivera Schatz, who has said that Pierluisi does not have the votes to be confirmed in the Senate, said the upper chamber will vote on Wednesday.

Before serving eight years as the nonvoting resident commissioner in Congress, Pierluisi was Puerto Rico’s secretary of justice. He is a Democrat when it comes to national politics, though political parties on the island do not neatly match up with those on the mainland.

Several labor unions opposed Pierluisi’s nomination. Pierluisi said he would have continued the policies put forward by Rosselló, who was elected to a four-year term in 2016. (Rosselló defeated Pierluisi in the New Progressive primary.)

Pierluisi backed public-private partnerships and the privatization of the troubled public power utility. He opposed the closure of more public schools — hundreds have been shuttered as a result of a population drop and budget cuts — and the elimination of a popular Christmas bonus for public employees, as the oversight board has suggested.

“Advocating for Puerto Rico is in my veins,” Pierluisi said. “I would do it before the board every time it is necessary, before Congress for the benefit of the people and before federal authorities to achieve the assistance and support we deserve as American citizens.”

On his way out of office, Rosselló signed several bills into law, including one moving Puerto Rico’s 2020 Democratic presidential primary to March from June.

“By making Puerto Rico an early voting state, candidates will be forced to pay attention to our needs,” Rosselló said in what could be the last news release of his tenure.

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/us/puerto-rico-governor-rossello-pierluisi.html" id="365b978f-89f8-3b0c-af56-f991a7e79cc0">The New York Times</a>.

Rosselló Steps Down as Puerto Rico's Governor, and Says Pierluisi Will Succeed Him

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Ricardo Rosselló stepped down as Puerto Rico’s governor on Friday and announced that Pedro Pierluisi would be sworn in as his successor, almost certainly ensuring that the island’s future leadership will be contested in court.

The vote complicated the succession, which will now almost certainly head to court if Pedro Pierluisi is sworn in as the island’s secretary of state once Rosselló’s resignation becomes effective at 5 p.m.

Under Puerto Rico’s Constitution, the secretary of state is supposed to take over when the governor steps down. Rosselló nominated Pierluisi, the island’s former nonvoting representative in Congress, to the secretary of state’s position on Wednesday. The House confirmation helped advance his position as Rosselló’s successor.

But the Senate has yet to take up Pierluisi’s nomination, so it is unclear if he will become governor — or whether the person who takes the oath will be the next in line under the constitution, Wanda Vázquez, the secretary of justice.

Pierluisi declined to say before the vote whether he would be sworn in even without a Senate confirmation vote. Vázquez has said she has no interest in the governor’s position but would fulfill her constitutional duties as needed.

Police officers in riot gear filed into La Fortaleza, the governor’s official residence in San Juan, shortly before Pierluisi’s hearing concluded. Protesters have called for numerous demonstrations around the island on Friday evening, around the time that Rosselló is to step down.

The governor’s office has not said where the transfer of power will take place, or whether the ceremony will be public.

Rosselló was forced to resign last week following intense protests prompted by the publication of hundreds of mean and profane messages that the governor and his inner circle exchanged in a private group chat on the Telegram messaging app. The leaked chat unleashed a torrent of pent-up anger in Puerto Rico over financial mismanagement, broken promises and corruption.

Pierluisi’s brother-in-law, José Carrión III, is the board’s chairman, though Pierluisi is in the middle of a divorce, according to Puerto Rico news reports.

Pierluisi received the minimum 26 votes needed for confirmation. He also faces strong opposition from Thomas Rivera Schatz, the powerful Senate president who wants to run for governor himself next year. Rivera Schatz has said that Pierluisi does not have the votes to be confirmed in the Senate next week.

Pedro Pierluisi Wins House Confirmation as Puerto Rico's Secretary of State: But Who Will Be Governor?

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — With Puerto Ricans on edge over their uncertain political future, the island’s House of Representatives voted to confirm a new secretary of state on Friday, backing Ricardo Rosselló’s chosen successor just an hour before the ousted governor was to leave office.

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Frances Robles, Edmy Ayala and Patricia Mazzei

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Rosselló Steps Down as Puerto Rico's Governor, and Says Pierluisi Will Succeed Him

Pedro Pierluisi Wins House Confirmation as Puerto Rico's Secretary of State: But Who Will Be Governor?