Puerto Rico got its third governor in less than a week on Wednesday just hours after the bankrupt US territory's supreme court ruled that Pedro Pierluisi's assumption of the office was unconstitutional and ordered him to leave. The island's justice secretary, Wanda Vazquez, was sworn in as governor at the supreme court in San Juan. A unanimous decision by the nine-member high court nullified Pierluisi's governorship based on the fact his earlier appointment as secretary of state and next in line for governor had not been confirmed by both chambers of the legislature. Vazquez last week initially voiced reluctance to take over the island's top government post after being targeted by protesters for alleged corruption and being too close to disgraced Governor Ricardo Rossello, who left office last Friday. In a statement after becoming governor, Vazquez said: "I will continue to focus on putting (Puerto Rico) back on track in an orderly and peaceful way." The high court's ruling followed weeks of political turmoil with Rossello resigning after days of protests demanding he step down. Offensive chat messages between Rossello and his closest allies and federal corruption charges against two former members of his administration sparked the protests, which drew around a third of the island's 3.2 million people to the streets. More political changes could be coming as newspaper El Nuevo Dia, citing unnamed sources, reported on Wednesday that Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico's nonvoting representative in the U.S. Congress, could become the next secretary of state and eventual governor. The move has the blessing of legislative leaders, according to the report. -Reuters
