Rosselló, who came into office with the promise of pushing Puerto Rican statehood, saw his support slip after facing accusations that his administration mismanaged the Maria recovery effort.Įarlier this month, federal prosecutors unsealed a corruption indictment that implicated two former top government officials, but authorities did not charge Rosselló. The territory has also struggled to rebuild since Hurricane Maria, which resulted in an estimated 3,000 deaths two years ago. ![]() The job would have fallen to the territory's secretary of state, but Luis Rivera Marín resigned from that position earlier this month in the wake of the scandal.ĭemonstrators march on Las Americas highway demanding the resignation of the governor in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Monday.īankrupt Puerto Rico has been in the grip of a recession for more than a decade. Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez, an official who protesters say is tainted by her ties to the governor, is expected to replace Rosselló. His resignation comes after nearly two weeks of street protests, including hundreds of thousands of people on Monday who shut down an 11-lane highway in San Juan. Rosselló will officially step down on Aug. "I hope this decision serves as a call to citizen reconciliation," he added. "I was willing to face any challenge, fully understanding that I would prevail against any accusation or process," Rosselló, a Democrat who was elected in 2016, said late Wednesday.Įarlier this week, he had promised not to seek a second term, but he acknowledged that he had "heard the demand of the people." The leaked texts set off mass demonstrations and widespread calls for his departure. Ricardo Rosselló announced his resignation amid a scandal over sexist, homophobic and otherwise offensive text messages he and his inner circle exchanged. Ricardo Rosselló announced late Wednesday that he is resigning from office amid a scandal over hundreds of pages of text messages he exchanged with his inner circle that included sexist, homophobic and other insulting material. Some of the messages were sent during the immediate aftermath of the devastating hurricane.Puerto Rico Gov. ![]() ![]() Mr Rossello has also been under pressure after US federal agents arrested contractors and government officials - including former education secretary Julia Keleher - on corruption charges.ĭemonstrators are equally angry over Mr Rossello's handling of the Hurricane Maria emergency in 2017, which left nearly 3,000 dead and the island in financial crisis. Mr Rossello has endured a week of protests after the Puerto Rican Center for Investigative Journalism on Saturday released 889 pages of text chats on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, in which Mr Rossello and 12 other male administration members criticise officials, politicians and journalists. Yelling: “Ricky, resign!” they converged on the governor’s mansion on Wednesday, calling for him to step down. Pop star Ricky Martin has led a march of thousands of Puerto Ricans through the capital, demanding the resignation of the island’s governor, Ricardo Rossello, following corruption accusations and the leak of text chats in which he made sexist and homophobic remarks.
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