Teofilo Torres sits on a coffin, leaning against a Puerto Rican flag. He is dressed as Pateco, the gravedigger. According to folk history, Pateco buried the dead from Hurricane San Ciriaco, which ravaged the island in 1899. "I already buried Ricky Rossello," he says. "This is the coffin for Wanda." "Ricky", or Ricardo Rossello, the island's governor, announced his resignation on July 24th. Wanda Vazquez, the justice secretary, was theoretically next in line, though she says she does not want the job. Then on July 31st Mr Rossello nominated Pedro Pierluisi, who lost to him in the 2016 primaries, to replace him. As The Economist went to press on August 1st, Mr Pierluisi nomination process was just starting and seemed sure to be contested in the legislature. It was unclear who will actually sit in the governor's mansion next. Mr Rossello's resignation, which came after weeks of protests sparked by the leaking of text messages in which he mocked his constituents, has pushed America's biggest territory into a succession crisis.
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