Governor of Puerto Rico - Wikipedia Governor of Puerto Rico For a list, see List of governors of Puerto Rico. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2018 ) Governor of Puerto Rico Spanish : Gobernador de Puerto Rico Seal of the Governor Standard of the Governor Incumbent Ricardo Rosselló since January 2, 2017 Style His Excellency diplomatic Mister Governor when presiding First Executive third person Residence La Fortaleza Term length Four years, no term limit Inaugural holder Juan Ponce de León Formation 1508 ; 510 years ago ( 1508 ) Salary $ 70,000 ( 2013 ) Website fortaleza.pr.gov Part of a series on the Executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico Office of the Governor Acting Governor Cabinet Chief of Staff Executive offices Governor 's Advisory Board Lieutenant Governor Office of Management and Budget Planning Board Secretariat of Governance Chief of Staff AFICA Commission on Cooperative Development Commission on Safety and Public Protection Economic Development Bank Environmental Quality Board Federal Affairs Administration Financing of Housing Authority Financing of Puerto Rico Infrastructure Authority Government - owned corporations Government Development Bank Municipal Financing Agency Office of the Inspector General Public Financing Corporation Public - Private Partnerships Authority Secretariat of Governance Cabinet Agriculture Cabinet - level officers Chief of Staff Consumer Affairs Corrections and Rehabilitation Economic Development and Commerce Education Family Health Housing Justice Labor and Human Resources Natural and Environmental Resources Sports and Recreation State Transportation and Public Works Treasury Departments Agriculture Consumer Affairs Corrections and Rehabilitation Economic Development and Commerce Education Family Health Housing Justice Labor and Human Resources Natural and Environmental Resources Sports and Recreation State Transportation and Public Works Treasury Finances Bonds Budget Budget balance COFINA Consolidated Fund General Fund Government Development Bank Internal Revenue Code Public debt Public Improvements Fund Special State Funds Taxation Sales and Use Tax Processes & protocols Line of succession Transition process 2008 2012 Other branches Judicial branch Legislative branch Puerto Rico This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Puerto Rico Constitution and law United States Constitution Puerto Rico Constitution Puerto Rico law Executive Governor : Ricky Rosselló ( NPP, D ) Acting Governor Cabinet Chief of Staff Executive departments Fiscal agent and financing Government - owned corporations Lieutenant Governor Line of succession Office of the Governor Secretaries Transition process First Lady Legislative Legislature : 17th Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico Senate : 26th Senate of Puerto Rico President of the Senate : Thomas Rivera Schatz President pro tempore : Larry Seilhamer Rodríguez Majority Leader : Carmelo Ríos Santiago Majority Whip : Ángel Chayanne Martínez Minority Leader : Eduardo Bhatia ; Juan Dalmau ; Vargas Vidot Minority Whip : José Luis Dalmau House of Representatives : 30th House of Representatives of Puerto Rico Speaker : Johnny Méndez Speaker pro tempore : José Torres Zamora Majority Leader : Gabriel Rodríguez Aguiló Majority Whip : Urayoán Hernández Minority Leader : Tatito Hernández Minority Whip : Ramón Luis Cruz Judicial Supreme Court Elections Elections Political Parties New Progressive Party Popular Democratic Party Puerto Rican Independence Party Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party Working People 's Party Sovereign Union Movement Political party strength Municipalities Mayors in Puerto Rico Municipalities of Puerto Rico Federal relations Federal representation United States House of Representatives Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Pedro Pierluisi ( PNP, D ) Insular Cases Political status Current status Proposed political status Sovereigntism Independence Statehood Status quo Politics of the United States Politics portal The Governor of Puerto Rico ( Spanish : Gobernador de Puerto Rico ) is the head of government of Puerto Rico and, by its nature, constitutes the executive branch of the government of the island. He is also the commander - in - chief of the island 's military forces, the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, to convene the Legislative Assembly, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Legislative Assembly, to appoint government officers, to appoint Justices, and to grant pardons. Since 1948, the governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico. Prior to that, the governor was appointed either by the King of Spain ( 1510 -- 1898 ) or the President of the United States ( 1898 -- 1948 ). Article IV of the Constitution of Puerto Rico vests the executive power on the governor and empowers him with the faculty to appoint officers. Law No. 104 of 1956 empowers him with the faculty to delegate functions. These two faculties in conjunction allow the governor to delegate most of his functions while continuing to be the maximum officer and head of government. Most of the governor 's functions are delegated to the Chief of Staff, who is charged with managing and overseeing all the executive departments and almost all executive agencies. The budget is delegated to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget while centralized planning is delegated to the President of the Planning Board. This effectively makes the governor a political figure rather than an administrative one, allowing him to set the vision for what the island should be and where it should go rather than having to be involved in its day - to - day operations. Historically, however, governors tend to be heavily involved in the day - to - day operations of the government in both internal and external affairs. Contents 1 History 2 Powers 3 Eligibility 4 Elections 5 Succession 6 References 7 External links History This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2018 ) See also : History of Puerto Rico, cacique, Conquistador, and Political status of Puerto Rico The first known and recorded heads of government in the history of Puerto Rico were the caciques, the tribal chiefs of the natives known as Taínos that inhabited the island before the arrival of Spaniards. It is believed that the cacique rank was apparently established through democratic means. His importance in the tribe was determined by the size of his tribe rather than his warlord skills, since the Taínos were mostly a pacifist culture. Agüeybaná I is the most - well known cacique as he was the one governing all others when the Spaniards arrived in 1493 although many others existed during his period, as well as before and after him. Juan Ponce de León was appointed as the first Governor of Puerto Rico in 1508 and assumed the post in 1510. In 1579, after several others had already served as governor, Juan Ponce de León II became the first person born in Puerto Rico to assume, temporarily, the governorship of Puerto Rico. He served until, who assumed the governorship of the island that same year. In 1948, Luis Muñoz Marín became the first Puerto Rican elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Powers The governor is head of the government of Puerto Rico. He has the power to veto any number of projects that the Puerto Rican Legislature wishes to pass. The governor also has the power to appoint the members of his cabinet, who in turn must be ratified by the Legislature. The governor also has the power to appoint Justices to the Supreme Court and all the lower courts of the island. The governor must address the legislature at the beginning of each year to present two speeches, one is the State of the Commonwealth speech and another in which the governor presents the `` Recommended Budget '' for the next fiscal year, in which the governor proposes to the state legislature a budget for the consideration of said body. He is also the commander - in - chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard and the chief diplomat. La Fortaleza is the oldest governor 's mansion in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere Eligibility On July 25, 1952, the Constitution of Puerto Rico was enacted by Governor Muñoz Marín after the approval by Congress and the President of the United States. Pursuant to section Three, Article IV of the Constitution of Puerto Rico, the governor must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Puerto Rico for five consecutive years prior and at least 35 years old at the time of the election. The governor serves a four - year term which begins on the second day of January after the year of his election and ends on the date his successor takes office. Consecutive service is unlimited, according to the Constitution of the Island. As an example Luis Muñoz Marín, its first elected governor, served for four consecutive terms from 1949 to 1965 ; the Constitution of the Commonwealth was ratified by the people of Puerto Rico in 1952. Elections The governor is elected by a direct vote from the people. The Puerto Rico Elections Code states that if the margin of victory of a candidate is less than 0.5 % of the votes a full recount of the election must take place. So far, only in the gubernatorial elections of 1980 and 2004 has a recount taken place. The last elected governor was Ricardo Rosselló who was sworn into office on January 2, 2017 at the age of 37. Succession Main articles : Puerto Rico governmental line of succession and Puerto Rico government transition process Upon the death, resignation, or removal from office ( by impeachment and conviction ) of a sitting governor, the Secretary of State would then take the office of governor until the end of the four - year term. In case the Secretary of State is unwilling or unable to assume it, the Secretary of Justice would temporarily assume the governorship, followed by the Secretary of Treasury, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Works, the Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce, the Secretary of Health and the Secretary of Agriculture, until the Legislative Assembly meets to elect by majority vote of all of its members a governor for the rest of the term. Other provisions exist for the transition between an incumbent governor and a governor - elect. Contrary to some U.S. states, if the governor is temporarily away from Puerto Rico, the Secretary of State, or in his absence the highest ranking Cabinet member in the line of succession, becomes acting governor until the governor 's return. In decades past, when off - island gubernatorial travel was infrequent, the powers of the governorship rarely devolved upon the Secretary of State or other Cabinet officers. More accessible travel have turned the acting governorship a much more common occurrence. During recent times, not only Secretary of State frequently served as acting governor, but the Secretary of Justice, and Secretary of Treasury as well. References Jump up ^ `` CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries ''. The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014. Jump up ^ Law No. 104 of 1956 Jump up ^ Casa Blanca reveals centuries of San Juan history Archived 2009 - 06 - 14 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2011 - 11 - 14. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 30. CS1 maint : Archived copy as title ( link ) External links Official website Executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico Cabinet Governor Office of the Governor Office of Management and Budget Planning Board Secretariat of Governance Chief executives of the United States Federal President of the United States State governors ( current list ) Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California list Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii list Idaho Illinois list Indiana list Iowa list Kansas Kentucky list Louisiana Maine list Maryland list Massachusetts Michigan list Minnesota list Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska list Nevada New Hampshire list New Jersey list New Mexico list New York list North Carolina list North Dakota list Ohio Oklahoma list Oregon list Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina list South Dakota list Tennessee list Texas list Utah Vermont list Virginia list Washington West Virginia Wisconsin list Wyoming Territorial ( current list ) American Samoa District of Columbia Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico list United States Virgin Islands Defunct Pre-state territories Panama Canal Zone Cuba Philippine Islands ( until 1935 ) Philippine Commonwealth ( until 1946 ) Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Government of Puerto Rico Branches Executive Legislative Judicial Key posts Adjutant General Attorney General Chief Justice Chief of Staff Comptroller Governor Inspector General Lieutenant Governor Ombudsman President of the Senate Prosecutor General Resident Commissioner Secretary of State Speaker of the House Treasurer Executive departments Agriculture Consumer Affairs Corrections and Rehabilitation Economic Development and Commerce Education Family Health Housing Justice Labor and Human Resources Natural and Environmental Resources Sports and Recreation State Transportation and Public Works Treasury Key buildings Capitol La Fortaleza Municipalities Adjuntas Aguada Aguadilla Aguas Buenas Aibonito Añasco Arecibo Arroyo Barceloneta Barranquitas Bayamón Cabo Rojo Caguas Camuy Canóvanas Carolina Cataño Cayey Ceiba Ciales Cidra Coamo Comerío Corozal Culebra Dorado Fajardo Florida Guánica Guayama Guayanilla Guaynabo Gurabo Hatillo Hormigueros Humacao Isabela Jayuya Juana Díaz Juncos Lajas Lares Las Marías Las Piedras Loíza Luquillo Manatí Maricao Maunabo Mayagüez Moca Morovis Naguabo Naranjito Orocovis Patillas Peñuelas Ponce Quebradillas Rincón Río Grande Sabana Grande Salinas San Germán San Juan San Lorenzo San Sebastián Santa Isabel Toa Alta Toa Baja Trujillo Alto Utuado Vega Alta Vega Baja Vieques Villalba Yabucoa Yauco Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Governor_of_Puerto_Rico&oldid=865559890 '' Categories : Executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico Governors of Puerto Rico Commonwealth constitutional officers of Puerto Rico Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 maint : Archived copy as title Articles needing additional references from April 2018 All articles needing additional references Use mdy dates from July 2018 Use American English from July 2018 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Articles containing Spanish - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from November 2012 Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Bahasa Indonesia Polski Português Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 24 October 2018, at 17 : 36 ( UTC ). 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Question: who is the elected governor of puerto rico
Answer: Ricardo Rosselló