Puerto Rico has a new governor — for now

Puerto Rico's former Governor Ricardo Rosselló is out, but the controversy over the state of the office is not finished.

Veteran politician Pedro Pierluisi on Friday was sworn in by a judge as Puerto Rico's governor, after Rosselló, as promised, resigned amid protests that emerged after a vulgar private chat between he and his top aides leaked. Pierluisi was Rosselló's hand-picked successor, but his appointment has not yet been ratified by Puerto Rico's Senate. And it looks like it won't be easy for Pierluisi to convince the Senate he's the right person for the job.

Critics have argued that the appointment is unconstitutional; Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz described it as "unethical" and "illegal." San Juan's Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz tweeted that the municipality would challenge Pierluisi's swearing in first thing on Monday morning. Puerto Rico's citizens reportedly think that Pierluisi will merely continue the mismanagement of Rosselló's administration.

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"Ideally, we would clean the entire house," Roxana López, a 34-year-old musician, told The Associated Press.

Pierluisi said if he is not ratified, Puerto Rico's secretary of justice will be next in line to fill the role. Pierluisi will reportedly not move into the government's mansion yet and said he will avoid any major changes until after the Senate votes next week.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.