Embattled Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigns amid public outcry

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced his resignation Wednesday days after demonstrators at the island's largest protest in recent history called for his ouster over a scandal involving leaked private chats as well as corruption investigations and arrests.

His resignation, effective Aug. 2, came late Wednesday night on a recorded video published on Facebook. In the message, he touted what he considered accomplishments of his tenure, saying he fought corruption and made strides for different communities.

"My only North Star has been the well-being of my island," he said.

Crowds in the streets, which for nearly two weeks had been calling for the governor to step down, immediately erupted in joyous chants, cheering "Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico!"

"Ricky, te botamos!" ("Ricky, we threw you out!") the jubilant crowd exclaimed after the governor's announcement.

"After the birth of my son, this is the happiest day of my life," said René Pérez Joglar, also known as Residente. The acclaimed Puerto Rican reggaeton star was among the artists who had galvanized the island in rallies that were unprecedented in their scope.

Rosselló is the U.S. commonwealth's first governor to resign.

In his recorded message, he urged people to stay orderly. "What I wish most is peace and progress for my people," he said.

The news came after three attorneys commissioned by the president of Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives, Carlos Méndez Núñez, unanimously found five offenses that constituted grounds for impeachment.