Pro-statehood Pedro Pierluisi sworn in as Puerto Rico governor following chaotic elections
Pedro Pierluisi was sworn in as Puerto Rico’s new governor Saturday, vowing to lift the struggling U.S. territory out of bankruptcy and fight against corruption, poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to hundreds of invited guests at an outdoor ceremony in San Juan, the pro-statehood politician urged people to put their differences aside to overcome Puerto Rico’s biggest obstacles.
The 61-year-old, who previously served as a nonvoting representative for Puerto Rico in Congress, rose to the island’s top government post with just one-third of the vote after a turbulent election period.
“Following a very contentious election with such an unprecedented result, I have listened to our people and acknowledged our need for better governance in Puerto Rico,” Pierluisi said in a bilingual speech. “That is why I will work hard to look for what unites us, instead of what divides us.”
“I need everyone to battle our common enemies: the pandemic, poverty and crime, lack of access to good education and health care, economic stagnation, corruption and inequality,” he added. “Those are the battles we need to fight together. Those are the battles we need to win to put Puerto Rico on the path to recovery.”
Pierluisi’s challenges go beyond the island’s coronavirus crisis and billion-dollar public debt. The territory of about 3.2 million U.S. citizens is still recovering from Hurricane Maria and numerous political scandals that triggered massive street protests in 2019.
He served as governor for less than a week in 2019 after the resignation of Ricardo Rosselló, who was caught using offensive language toward women, gay people and hurricane victims in a series of profanity-laced online exchanges. Before stepping down, Rosselló tapped Pierluisi as secretary of state, putting him in line to replace him — though without Senate approval.
The island’s Supreme Court later ruled Pierluisi’s oath of office was unconstitutional and ordered then-Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez to serve as governor.
Pierluisi returned to the spotlight last year when he challenged Vázquez for the New Progressive Party nomination, beating her in a messy primary election that had to be held twice because some polling places didn’t get ballots on time.
He later defeated Carlos Delgado of the Popular Democratic Party with just 33% of the vote, compared with Delgado’s nearly 32%. It was the lowest number of votes ever cast for a winning gubernatorial candidate in Puerto Rico.
Argentina legalizes abortion in historic moment for women’s rights in conservative Latin America
Also on the November ballot was a nonbinding referendum asking whether Puerto Rico should be a U.S. state. More than 52% of voters voted “yes,” though any changes to the island’s status would require approval from Congress.
Critics lashed out at the new governor this week for hosting a packed inauguration event despite a surge of coronavirus infections across Puerto Rico. Pierluisi defended his decision, saying 400 guests were required to wear masks and submit a negative COVID-19 test result.
Puerto Rico’s new legislature, whose majority is now female, was also sworn in Saturday.
With News Wire Services
