Puerto Rico House confirms Pierluisi as secretary of state

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's House of Representatives voted today to confirm Pedro Pierluisi as secretary of state, removing an important obstacle to the veteran politician becoming governor with an hour to go before Ricardo Rosselló was expected to step down.

The House voted 26-21, with one abstention, to confirm Rosselló's nominee and potential successor. The legislature, which is controlled by Pierluisi's New Progressive Party, erupted into cheers when the deciding vote was cast.

But Pierluisi's fate remains unclear. The secretary of state is next to line for the governor's chair when the chief executive resigns. However, the issue of who is rightfully governor is almost certain to go to court.

Rosselló was due to step down at 5 p.m., a resignation he promised in response to weeks of popular protest over mismanagement, and a series of leaked chats in which he and advisers denigrated a range of Puerto Ricans.

If Pierluisi, 60, does not become governor, the position is taken by Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez, who is not widely popular and already is the target of protests.

The down-to-the-wire maneuvering risked political chaos and a constitutional crisis and sowed bitterness and pessimism among Puerto Ricans about the fate of their island, which has been battered by years of bankruptcy and Hurricane Maria in 2017, one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.