Here are answers to some basic questions about the unrest and its roots.
What touched off the protests?
The spark was lit Saturday by the publication of hundreds of pages of crass, insensitive and often profane chat messages among Rosselló and 11 men in his inner circle. Besides being offensive, the messages revealed a cozy relationship between Rosselló and former staff members who now represent special interests. Outraged Puerto Ricans took to the streets and have protested every day since then.
What’s really behind all the anger?
The protests are about much more than just the unseemly chat messages. They amount to a rejection of decades of mismanagement by leaders who always seemed to benefit while ordinary Puerto Ricans suffered. Grievances have been building up over 12 years of economic recession, a debt crisis that has prompted layoffs and cutbacks in public services and the botched response to Hurricane Maria.
The chat messages and the arrests last week of six people with ties to the Rosselló government were the last straws for many Puerto Ricans, who said they could no longer tolerate mocking, profanity and corruption, real or perceived, by leaders who were supposed to be fighting on their behalf in Washington and San Juan.
What do the protesters want?
They want to be rid of both Rosselló and another target of their ire, the unelected oversight board created by Congress to manage the finances of the island’s government, which owes far more than it can pay to its creditors. Thousands of government workers have been laid off, services have been cut, tuition raised and schools closed as Puerto Rico has struggled to resolve the debt crisis; none of that has been popular.
Rosselló has tried at times to push back against “la junta,” as the board is known. But many Puerto Ricans lump the two together in their frustration and fury. The protesters have taken to chanting “Ricky, renuncia, y llévate a la junta” — Ricky, resign, and take the board with you.
Will the governor go?
Rosselló, whose term runs through 2020, said Thursday that he did not intend to resign. But private negotiations over a transition abound in San Juan, and some politicians have spoken of impeaching him. Legislative leaders have asked a panel of jurists to issue a recommendation on whether to pursue impeachment charges.
One complication is that Puerto Rico has no lieutenant governor to take his place. The island’s secretary of state is supposed to step in as acting governor when needed, but that post is currently vacant — and the power to fill it belongs to Rosselló, though his nominee would have to be approved by the island’s legislature. Leaders of the governing New Progressive Party are scrambling to find a candidate.
If there is no secretary of state, the governorship would go next to the secretary of justice, Wanda Vázquez Garced, but powerful legislative leaders from her party do not seem interested in having that happen.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.