Puerto Rican Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez turns down role as governor

July 28 (UPI) -- The Puerto Rico government official who is next in line to serve as Puerto Rico's governor announced Sunday she does not wish to take on the position.

Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez wrote on Twitter Sunday that she will not take Ricardo Rossello's place after he announced plans to resign effective Aug. 2.

"I reiterate, I have no interest in occupying the position of governor," Vazquez wrote. "It is a Constitutional opinion. I hope that the governor identifies and submits a candidate for the position of secretary of state before Aug. 2 and I have told him to do so."

Puerto Rican law states the island's secretary of state would serve as Rosello's successor, but the position has been vacant since Luis G. Rivera Marin submitted his resignation two weeks ago due to his involvement in the scandal that led to Rossello's resignation.

Rossello announced his resignation on Thursday following the release of hundreds of pages of leaked messages in which he and his staffers joked about the victims of Hurricane Maria among other things.

The release of the messages prompted mass protests demanding his resignation.