Legal Groups, Political Opponents Question Legitimacy of Puerto Rico's New Governor

For the first time in seven decades, an unelected governor is in charge of Puerto Rico, NBC News reports. Pedro Pierluisi was sworn in during a private ceremony as the island's new governor seconds after embattled Gov. Ricardo Rosselló's resignation became effective Friday at 5 p.m.

Both the incoming and departing governor said in written statements that Pierluisi became governor within Puerto Rico's legal and constitutional framework. But Puerto Rican legal groups and others on the island slammed Pierluisi's interpretation of the U.S. territory's Constitution, with some calling it "an atrocious abduction of Puerto Rico's current Constitution."

The Puerto Rico Bar Association said in a written statement that since "the legitimacy of the newly sworn in [governor] is in question," they are looking into "the necessary procedures to initiate a judicial process to challenge" Pierluisi's oath as governor.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who's running for governor in the 2020 elections, already announced her plans to file an appeal on Monday morning to challenge Pierluisi's position.

Photo Credit: Xavier Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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