P.R. Laws tit. 3, § 8
When a vacancy occurs in the office of Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico due to death, resignation, destitution, total or permanent disability, or any other absolute reason, said office shall be passed on to the Secretary of State, who shall discharge it for the remainder of the term and until a new Governor is elected and takes office. If the offices of Governor and Secretary of State are both vacant simultaneously, the order of succession shall be the following:
(1) Secretary of Justice.
(2) Secretary of the Treasury.
(3) Secretary of Education.
(4) Secretary of Labor and Human Resources.
(5) Secretary of Transportation and Public Works.
(6) Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce.
(7) Secretary of Health.
(8) Secretary of Agriculture.
In order to permanently discharge the office of Governor, a Secretary shall officially hold his/her position, and his/her appointment must have been confirmed; except in the case of the Secretary of State, unless as otherwise provided by Article IV, Section 9 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. He/she shall also meet the requirements of age, citizenship and residence provided for the Governor by Article IV of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, in its defect the succession shall correspond to the following official in the succession order who thus meet them. Only in the case that none of the Secretaries meets the constitutional requirements and/or meets the requirement of being confirmed, the succession order shall be initiated, thus waiving the requirements set forth in this section, except when Article VI, Section 9 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico applies. Until the new Governor has appointed and confirmed a new Secretary of State, he/she shall ensure that no vacancies in the succession order arise.
History —July 24, 1952, No. 7, p. 12, § 1, Jan. 10, 1998, No. 19, § 1; May 2, 2005, No. 7, § 1.