SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced late Wednesday that he will resign Aug. 2, conceding power after nearly two weeks of furious protests and political upheaval touched off by a leak of crude and insulting chat messages between him and his top advisers.
A crowd of thousands outside the governor’s mansion in Old San Juan erupted into cheers and singing after Rosselló’s announcement on Facebook just before midnight.
“My only priority has been the transformation of our island and the well-being of our people,” a shaken-looking Rosselló said in an address that listed his accomplishments before making clear he was resigning. Addressing the protests, Rosselló said, “The demands have been overwhelming and I’ve received them with highest degree of humility.”
The 40-year-old son of a former governor, Rosselló became the first chief executive to resign in the modern history of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of more than 3 million American citizens without full representation in Congress or the right to vote for president.
(Copyright 2019 Associated Press.)
