Puerto Rico swears in Jenniffer González Colón as new governor days after major blackout

A lone protester, with her face covered, interrupted the Mass at Parroquia Santa Teresita in San Juan. She yelled, “Jenniffer, we came for you. Puerto is without power.”

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Jenniffer González Colón was sworn in Thursday as Puerto Rico’s new governor as the island prepared for a normally ebullient ceremony overshadowed by widespread anger over a blackout that hit the U.S. territory days ago.

González, a Republican who backs President-elect Donald Trump and whose pro-statehood New Progressive Party secured a historic third consecutive term after she won the Nov. 5 election, has pledged to stabilize the Caribbean island’s crumbling power grid.

Before the start of a ceremony in front of Puerto Rico’s seaside Capitol to celebrate her swearing in, González attended Mass surrounded by family and supporters.

“What better than to come first to thank God and to ask God to give me the wisdom, the fortitude and the tools to fulfill everything I promised the people of Puerto Rico,” she told reporters.

A lone protester, with her face covered, interrupted the Mass at Parroquia Santa Teresita in San Juan. She yelled, “Jenniffer, we came for you. Puerto is without power.”

Meanwhile, a growing number of protesters gathered at the Capitol before González’s arrival.

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