NationMaster - Puerto Rican Government statistics

Capital city San Juan
Constitution ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952
Executive branch > Cabinet Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature
Executive branch > Chief of state President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
Executive branch > Election results Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA elected governor; percent of vote - 48.4%
Executive branch > Elections under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Puerto Rico, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008)
Executive branch > Head of government Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January 2005)
Flag modification	56	[56th of 197]
Government type	commonwealth
Independence none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)
International organization participation Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WFTU
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate)
Legal system based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of justice
Legislative branch bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (at least 27 seats - currently 29; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Legislative branch > A note Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - percent of vote by party - PPD 49.3%; seats by party - PPD 1; Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA elected resident commissioner
Legislative branch > Elections Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008)
National holiday US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25 July (1952)
Political pressure groups and leaders Boricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group also known as Los Macheteros); note - the following radical groups are considered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance, Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution
Status dependent democracy
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

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SOURCES: The location of the seat of government.; The dates of adoption, revisions, and major amendments to a nation's constitution ; Cabinet includes the official name for any body of high-ranking advisers roughly comparable to a U.S. Cabinet. Also notes the method for selection of members. ; The name and title of any person or role roughly equivalent to a U.S. Chief of State. This means the titular leader of the country who represents the state at official and ceremonial functions but may not be involved with the day-to-day activities of the government ; Election results includes the percent of vote for each candidate in the last election (if any) ; Elections includes the nature of election process or accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election ; Head of government includes the name and title of the top administrative leader who is designated to manage the day-to-day activities of the government. For example, in the UK, the monarch is the chief of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. In the US, the president is both the chief of state and the head of government. ; The date on which the nation's flag was last modified.; A description of the basic form of government (e.g., republic, constitutional monarchy, federal republic, parliamentary democracy, military dictatorship). ; For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. Dependent areas include the notation "none" followed by the nature of their dependency status. " ; This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates in some other way. ; The name(s) of the highest court(s) and a brief description of the selection process for members. ; A brief description of the legal system's historical roots, role in government, and acceptance of International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction. ; This entry contains information on the structure (unicameral, bicameral, tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and term of office. Elections includes the nature of election process or accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election. Election results includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats held by each party in the last election. ; ; The primary national day of celebration - often independence day. ; Organizations with leaders involved in politics, but not standing for legislative election. ; Democracy: state in which democratic structures provide for an alternance of power
Pseudo-Democracy: state in which there are democratic structures but without a real chance for an alternance of power
Transition State: a state with a transitional structure
Absolute Monarchy: a one-party state, or a state governed by an absolute monarchy or dictatorship.; The age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted

ALTERNATIVE NAMES: Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

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COMMENTARY

John Kevin
20th April 2005

Love the site, but you need more people so you can add more stats and update things faster. Also, why not add more opinions? Such stats are great but you need to give at least a general summary, like an explanation of how you see the relationship between Puerto Rico and the US. I am wondering about it because unification as a state may be beneficial as with the Bahamas and several other Caribbean and other nations.

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