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Puerto Rico is a self-governing
Commonwealth
in association with the United States. It is commonly referred to
in Puerto Rico as, "Estado Libre Asociado De Puerto
Rico" (Free Associated State of Puerto Rico). The chief of
state is the
President of the United States of America. The head of government
is an elected Governor.
The
Puerto Rico Constitution establishes a democratic and republican
form of government, divided into three branches: the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches, each of equal importance and
equally subordinated to the sovereign power of the people.
The legislative branch consists of a bicameral Legislative
Assembly with a Senate (27 members) and a House of Representatives
(51 members). A constitutional provision requires the total
membership in the assembly be expanded, if necessary, to increase
minority representation whenever one party controls more than
two-thirds of the seats.
A
resident commissioner, who serves as the island's sole delegate to
the U.S. Congress, holds limited powers as a member of the U.S.
House of Representatives. Executive authority is vested in a
governor.
The island is divided into 78 municipalities, each administered by
a mayor and municipal assembly. All of the aforementioned
positions are elective, with balloting conducted on the Tuesday
after the first Monday in November, in years divisible by four;
with victorious candidates taking office the following January.
Resident U.S. citizens, age 18 and older, are eligible to vote;
voter turnout consistently exceeds 80% of the electorate.
The governor holds nomination power over executive branch and
public corporation leadership positions, under a highly
centralized structure. The secretary of state (who serves as
acting governor in the chief executive's absence) must be
confirmed by a majority vote of both chambers of the Legislative
Assembly; other senior nominees require confirmation only by the
Senate.
The constitution vests judicial power in the Puerto Rico Supreme
Court, and such lower courts as may be established by law. Members
of the judicial branch are nominated by the governor and confirmed
by the Senate. Decisions rendered by municipal, district, and
superior courts may be appealed, until they reach the Commonwealth
Supreme Court composed of seven justices. Lower-court judges serve
fixed terms; Supreme Court justices serve until retirement. The
court system is administered by the chief justice of the Supreme
Court.
Seven judges, nominated by the U.S. president and confirmed by the
stateside Senate, serve on Puerto Rico's federal district court.
Its decisions may be appealed through the federal court system to
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and on to the
U.S. Supreme Court. Decisions of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court may
be appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Government Development Bank (GDB), the government's fiscal
agent, zealously guards the investment-grade quality of Puerto
Rico's bonds, observes applicable government debt limits, and
follows the bond market's high demand of the island's long-term
obligations with institutional bond buyers. By law, the government
must balance its budget.
The GDB also finances various capital and infrastructure
improvements for the central government, its agencies and
dependencies, and its public corporations. It also helps finance
private economic development projects. Afica (the Spanish acronym
for the Puerto Rico Industrial, Tourism, Educational, Medical
& Environmental Control Facilities Financing Authority)—a
GDB subsidiary—provides long-term (bond) financing for
multimillion-dollar hotels, office buildings, and other projects.
The Economic Development Bank, an adjunct of the GDB, helps
finance smaller projects with loans, guarantees, or equity.
The Puerto Rico Industrial Development Co. (Pridco, formerly known
as Fomento), promotes Puerto Rico as an ideal industrial site by
facilitating local tax exemption under the local Tax Incentives
Law and assisting industrial investors through required permit
processes. Pridco also leases government-owned factory buildings
at preferential rates and otherwise helps investors establish
operations on the island.
The question of political status continues to dominate the
political arena.
For the past 50 years, two main parties, each favoring a different
political status, have waged passionate campaigns for power in
which Puerto Rico's future identity has been a key issue. The
Popular Democratic Party (PDP), currently in office, favors
enhancement of the existing territorial relationship with the U.S.
under the name "Commonwealth." The New Progressive Party
(NPP), most recently in office from 1993-2000, advocates statehood
within the Union. The much smaller (4%) Puerto Rican Independence
Party (PIP) favors an independent republic.
Political parties in Puerto Rico primarily are driven by status
preferences, not by socioeconomic action plans or ideological
platforms on how to run the island. The NPP maintains strong
affiliations with the States' Republican and Democratic national
parties, whereas the PDP is more affiliated with the U.S.
Democratic Party.
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