Members of the Puerto Rican community in Connecticut are glued to the drama unfolding daily on the island, as protest leads to change in Puerto Rico's government.
Governor Ricardo Rossello announced his resignation Wednesday, amid a scandal involving leaked texts that revealed sexist, homophobic and otherwise inappropriate text messages between Rosello and his inner circle.
The scandal sparked days of mass demonstrations calling for his ouster.
Charles Venator-Santiago is Puerto Rican, and an associate professor of political science at the University of Connecticut.
Speaking on Connecticut Public Radio's Where We Live, he said given Rossello's political connections, his announcement was sudden and surprising.
"The Puerto Rican bar association had issued an 11-point analysis, calling for an indictment," said Venator-Santiago. "But the president of the lower house of the legislature stalled the process. So there were a lot of political agreements happening on the ground that were suggesting that there was going to be a stalling process."
Venator-Santiago said also he's concerned about the person next in line to become governor, Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez.
"She's embroiled in a very nasty scandal herself, and was recently part of an independent counsel investigation," he said.
In a recorded message on Facebook, Governor Rosello said his resignation will be effective August 2.
