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An bal Acevedo Vil (born 1962) is the eight and current Democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Acevedo has served in many political posts in Puerto Rico including being member of the House of Representatives (1993-2001) and Resident Commissioner (2001-2005). Acevedo won the office of Governor on the elections of November, 2004, defeating former Governor Pedro Rossell . However, Acevedo's margin of victory was just 3,566 votes and was marred by a controversy that went to several Federal Courts.
Early life and education
Acevedo Vil was born in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico on February 13, 1962. An bal attended San Jos High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he graduated in 1979. In 1982 he obtained a B.A. in Political Science at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. He continued his studies in Law at the University of Puerto Rico where he was elected Vice President of the Student Council and served as Editor-In-Chief of the UPR Law Review. He obtained his Juris Doctor in 1985, again graduating Magna Cum Laude. After passing the Puerto Rico Bar, Acevedo Vil completed a year-long clerkship at the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, where he worked under Justice Federico Hern ndez Denton. In 1987 he obtained a Master's Degree in Law from Harvard University. From 1987 to 1988, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Levin Campbell, Chief Judge of the Federal Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Court in Boston, MA.
Political career Acevedo Vil began his political career in 1989 when he worked as Advisor in Legislative Affairs to then-Governor Rafael Hern ndez Col n. In 1992 he was elected as Representative At-Large to Puerto Rico's House of Representatives. He developed his leadership skills during this period and was able to win reelection in 1996. The following year, his party elected him House Minority Leader. In February 1997, Acevedo Vil was elected President of the Popular Democratic Party.
In 1998 Acevedo participated in a campaign against the Young Project, a proposed legislative project named after Representative Don Young and headed by the U.S. Congress which sought to resolve the political status of Puerto Rico by calling a referendum. However, the referendum called for in the project would not have included the option for Puerto Rico to remain a Commonwealth with the United States.
Although the project failed to become law, Puerto Rico's elected officials at the time headed by Governor Pedro Rossell organized a non-binding Plebiscite to define Puerto Rico's political status, in which Puerto Ricans were given five options in the ballot; Commonwealth, Associated Republic, Statehood, Independence from the United States, and "None of the Above".
Acevedo and his party believed that the definition for the Commonwealth which was included in the plebsicite ballot was ill-defined, therefore, his party campaigned for the "None of the Above" option. In December 1998, the "None of the Above" column won over the other options on the ballot.
Resident Commissioner Governor Acevedo and Resident Commissioner Fortu o shake hands. In 2000, Acevedo ran for Resident Commissioner of the island after defeating Jos Hern ndez Mayoral, the son of then-former Governor Rafael Hern ndez Col n, in the party primary. Later that year, Acevedo defeated PNP incumbent Carlos Romero Barcel . In the same election, Popular Democratic Party candidate, Sila M. Calder n became the seventh democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
In the summer of 2003, Governor Calder n announced she would not seek re-election the following year. Jos Hern ndez Mayoral surfaced as the likely PPD candidate for Governor for the 2004 elections. Months following the announcement, Hern ndez Mayoral widthdrew from the race, citing personal matters. Acevedo Vil filled the vacant candidacy.
Acevedo won the Puerto Rico General Elections of 2004 by aproximately 3,800 votes (0.2 percent of the vote) over former-governor Pedro Rossell therefore, becoming the Governor-elect of Puerto Rico. However, since the margin of victory was so small, a full recount of the elections took place. During the period, Rossell filed a civil law suit against Acevedo Vila himself over a dispute of certain ballots that were cast during the elections. The case moved up to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, where three judges ruled that the case the question of whether the ballots were properly cast or not was a question of state law and therefore should be seen by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ruled that the ballots in question were valid. On December 28, 2004 the recount ended and Acevedo was certified as the winner of the elections.
Governor Acevedo assumed the office of Governor on January 2, 2005. He will face many political challenges during his term. This is due to the fact that the Legislature of Puerto Rico is controlled by the opposing New Progressive Party (PNP). The new Resident Commissioner is also member of PNP.
Because the two major branches of the government are controlled by different parties, Governor Acevedo has called his government a "Shared Government". He has concentrated his efforts on trying to reach bi-partisan support for his projects. He began this task by appointing members of the opposing political parties to his Cabient.
See also
External links - Anibal Acevedo Vila - U.S. House of Representatives Website (http://www.house.gov/acevedo-vila/)
- Acevedo Campaign Website (http://www.anibalgobernador.com) - in Spanish.
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