Government of Puerto Rico

The government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government with separation of powers, subject to the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States.[1][2] Article I of the Constitution of Puerto Rico defines the government and its political power and authority. The powers of the government of Puerto Rico (including the existence of the Puerto Rican constitution[3]) are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the U.S. Constitution. Because of this, the head of state of Puerto Rico is the President of the United States.

Structurally, the government is composed of three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The executive branch is headed by the governor, currently Pedro Pierluisi, who is also the head of government. The legislative branch consists of a bicameral legislature, namely the Legislative Assembly, composed by the Senate as its upper house and by the House of Representatives as its lower house. The governor and legislators are elected by popular vote every four years.

The judicial branch is headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, currently Maite Oronoz Rodríguez. The legal system is a mix of the civil law and the common law systems. Members of the judicial branch are appointed by the governor with advice and consent from the Senate.

  1. ^ Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Article I, Section 2 Archived 2009-12-29 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty".
  3. ^ U.S. Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 82–447

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