Puerto Rican spindalis (bird), coqui (frog); national colors: red, white, blue.
Title | "La Borinquena" (The Puerto Rican) |
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Lyric/music | Manuel Fernandez JUNCOS/Felix Astol ARTES |
Date of Independence | none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) |
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National holiday | US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25 July (1952) |
Legal system | civil law system based on the Spanish civil code and within the framework of the US federal system |
International law organization participation | |
Constitution | |
History | Previous 1900 (Organic Act, or Foraker Act); latest ratified by referendum 3 March 1952, approved 3 July 1952, effective 25 July 1952 |
Amendments | Proposed by a concurrent resolution of at least two-thirds majority by the total Legislative Assembly membership; approval requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses and approval by a majority of voters in a special referendum; if passed by at least three-fourths Assembly vote, the referendum can be held concurrently with the next general election; constitutional articles such as the republican form of government or the bill of rights cannot be amended; amended 1952 |
Citizenship | |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President Joseph R. BIDEN Jr. (since 20 January 2021) |
Head of government | Governor Pedro PIERLUISI (since 2 January 2021) |
Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by governor with the consent of the Legislative Assembly |
Elections/appointments | president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by an Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state; president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); under the US Constitution, residents of Puerto Rico do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican party presidential primary elections; governor directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (no term limits); election last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) |
Election results | 2024: Jenniffer GONZÁLEZ-COLÓN elected governor; percent of vote - Jenniffer GONZÁLEZ-COLÓN (PNP) 39.4%, Juan DALMAU Ramírez (PIP) 32.7%, Jesús Manuel ORTIZ (PPD) 21.1%, Javier JIMÉNEZ (PD) 6.7%, other 0.1%; note - GONZÁLEZ-COLÓN takes office 2 January 2025 |
Legislative branch | |
Description | bicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa consists of: Senate or Senado (30 seats statutory, 27 current; 16 members directly elected in 8 2-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 11 at-large members directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (51 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) |
Elections | Senate - last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) House of Representatives - last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held on 5 November 2024) |
Election results | Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPD 12, NP 10, MVC 2, PD 1, PIP 1, independent 1; composition - men 14, women 13, percentage women 48.1% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPD 26, PNP 21, MVC 2, PIP 1, PD 1; composition - men 41, women 10, percentage women 19.6%; total Legislative Assembly percentage women 29.5% |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 8 associate justices) |
Judge selection and term of office | Justices appointed by the governor and confirmed by majority Senate vote; judges serve until compulsory retirement at age 70 |
Subordinate courts | Court of Appeals; First Instance Court comprised of superior and municipal courts |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Embassy | None (territory of the US with commonwealth status) |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 1 (cultural); note - excerpted from the US entry |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site |
Want to know more about Puerto Rico? Check all different factbooks for Puerto Rico below.