Wanda Vázquez Garced
Wanda Emilia Vázquez Garced (born July 9, 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 2019 to 2021. Prior to her tenure as governor, she served as the 19th secretary of Justice, from 2017 to 2019. A member of the New Progressive Party and Republican Party of Puerto Rico, Vázquez is the second female governor in Puerto Rican history, after Sila María Calderón. She assumed the office following the resignation of Ricardo Roselló, and the judicial annulation of Pedro Pierluisi's short-lived government, in the aftermath of the Telegramgate Scandal. On August 16, 2020, she failed to secure the New Progressive Party nomination for Governor of Puerto Rico in the 2020 elections, losing to Pedro Pierluisi.
Wanda Vázquez | |
|---|---|
Garced in 2019 | |
| Governor of Puerto Rico | |
| In office August 7, 2019 – January 2, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ricardo Rosselló Pedro Pierluisi (de facto) |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Pierluisi |
| 19th Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico | |
| In office January 2, 2017 – August 7, 2019 | |
| Governor | Ricardo Rosselló Pedro Pierluisi (de facto) |
| Preceded by | César Miranda |
| Succeeded by | Dennise Longo Quiñones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wanda Vázquez Garced July 9, 1960 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | New Progressive |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 2019) Republican (2019–present) |
| Spouse | Jorge Díaz Reverón |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (BA) Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (JD) |
Vázquez Garced's ascension to the governorship was at the epicenter of a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, in the case of Senado de Puerto Rico v. Hon. Pedro R. Pierluisi; Puerto Rico's highest court derogated a clause added by Puerto Rico Law #7 of 2005 (Law No. 7-2005) to the Constitution of Puerto Rico. This annulled Pedro Pierluisi's government, and reinforced the 1952 Constitution's provisions for succession of government.
On August 4, 2022, Vázquez was arrested by the FBI, on charges of corruption, over a bribery case connected to her 2020 gubernatorial campaign; she had demanded the Commissioner of Financial Institutions to resign.