Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico (PDP) is a political party
that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico
's current status as a commonwealth
.
The PDP is one of three major registered parties in Puerto Rico, along with the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
(NPP), which favors U.S. state
hood, and the Puerto Rican Independence Party
(PIP), which favors complete independence.
Party members are commonly called "populares".
), founded the PPD in 1937–1938. Many of them were part of the old socialist movement of Puerto Rico. The dissident faction, initially calling themselves the Partido Liberal, Neto, Auténtico y Completo ("Clear, Net, Authentic, and Complete Liberal Party
"), was led by Luis Muñoz Marín
. In 1937, the debate centered around the more moderate demands of autonomy leading to gradual independence by the Liberal Party faction led by Barcelo, and the more radical demands of immediate independence and social reform by Muñoz and his followers.
Muñoz and other "populares" legally incorporated the PDP in 1938. He intended to call the party Partido Social Democrático, but he was strongly advised not to use the word "social" in the name, as to not alienate Puerto Ricans who feared socialism as a political or economic philosophy. Appealing to the masses (and some say taking a hint from the name of Puerto Rico's most solid institution at the time, the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico), he substituted "Social" for "Popular". He inscribed the party in two towns, San Lorenzo
and Culebra
. Reportedly the party's first inscribed voter was a San Lorenzo resident which was 120 years old at the time.
Once Jesús T. Piñero
stepped down as the first Puerto Rican named governor, the governor's office became an elected position. In 1949, under the leadership of Luis Muñoz Marín, the PPD won the first gubernatorial elections in Puerto Rico, and Muñoz became first elected governor of the island. He then initiated the longest continuous rule by a governor in Puerto Rican history (four 4-year terms, for a total of 16 years), surpassed only by one of the former governors under Spanish rule, Miguel de la Torre
.
was in charge of the project.
had become the second governor to be democratically elected in Puerto Rico. The party remained in power until 1968, when Luis A. Ferré
, candidate from the newly established New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (PNP). The win has been credited to the division among populares during the 1968 gubernatorial race. The division resulted from personal and irreconcilable differences between PDP founder Luis Muñoz Marín
and then current governor Roberto Sánchez Vilella. Luis Muñoz Marín opposed Sánchez Vilella's attempt to run for reelection and at a party assembly Munoz nominated a new candidate for governor, Luis Negrón López
. This caused a deep division in the PDP causing Sánchez Vilella to create a new party called Partido del Pueblo (People's Party (Puerto Rico)). The new party's motto was "Que el pueblo decida", (Let the people decide). The motto was obviously directed to Luis Muñoz Marín who denied Sánchez Vilella a primary. Sánchez Vilella ran under his new party and Negrón López ran under the PDP, causing the split in the party and in the election results. This give Luis A. Ferré
of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
(NPP) the victory and resulted in the first defeat for the PDP in a general election.
. After the 1968 electoral defeat Muñoz Marín felt so guilty and responsible for his party's loss that he decided to go into "exile" in Italy to stay away from local politics and let the party renovate. Muñoz Marín returned to Puerto Rico only to present the new leader of the party and new candidate for governor Rafael Hernández Colón before 300,000 people in Hato Rey at a party meeting. In the 1972 general election Hernández Colón defeated Ferré by a wide margin and his party won in all but 4 municipalities. However, this was a short-lived success for the party as, in 1976, NPP candidate and then San Juan mayor, Carlos Romero Barceló
, defeated Hernández Colón.
In 1984, Hernández Colón once again became governor defeating his long time political rival Carlos Romero Barceló
of the NPP. His second term was marked by his successful fight to keep federal Law 936 (U.S.C. TITLE 26, Subtitle A, CHAPTER 1, Subchapter N, PART III, Subpart D, § 936, "Puerto Rico and Possession Tax Credit") in force. The PDP had helped establish the law, which allowed American companies to operate in Puerto Rico with tax breaks.
In 1988, Hernández Colón was re-elected by a comfortable margin. This election witnessed a controversial debate between Hernández Colón and his NPP adversary Corrada del Río. In it, Hernández Colón surprised Corrada by arriving unexpected at his own debate. That same year Héctor Luis Acevedo
, the PDP mayoral candidate for San Juan
, won the San Juan mayoral race by only 49 votes.
In 1988, Santos Ortiz, a.k.a "El Negro", mayor of Cabo Rojo
, left the PDP. "El Negro" was the name of Juan Josue Rodriguez went on to become the first person not affiliated with Marin and any of the three major parties in Puerto Rico to win an elected position in Puerto Rico when he retained his seat as mayor running as an independent.
In 1992, after Hernández Colón decided not to run for governor again, the PDP elected Victoria Muñoz Mendoza
, daughter of Luis Muñoz Marín
, to run for governor. She became the first woman in Puerto Rican history to run for governor, but she lost the election to Pedro Rosselló
. In 1996, Héctor Luis Acevedo
ran for governor, but once again, the PDP candidate lost to Roselló, who received over a million votes. The PDP, however, won the second most important position in Puerto Rico which is the San Juan mayor seat with Sila María Calderón
.
, while the opposition campaigned for the annexation
of Puerto Rico to the United States via statehood
. The Commonwealth option, supported by the PDP, was victorious, receiving 48% of the votes. In 1998, NPP Governor Dr. Pedro Rosselló
carried out a non-binding plebiscite which gave electors four political status options
and a fifth one, None of the Above. The Popular Democratic Party led a campaign to boycott the plebiscite, calling on the electorate to vote for the None of the Above option. The boycott was successful, as the None of the Above column garnered more votes than any of the other options. Rosselló argued before Congress that statehood had won the plebiscite as he later said that the fifth option (None of the Above) was an invalid vote.
regained the governor's seat for the PDP, beating NPP's candidate Carlos Ignacio Pesquera, and Puerto Rican Independence Party
(PIP) candidate Ruben Berrios
.
When Calderón announced that she would not be running for governor in 2004 she proposed José Alfredo Hernández Mayoral, son of Rafael Hernández Colón, as the new candidate for governor. Two months after Calderón named Hernández Mayoral as head of the party he resigned and retired from political life because of his son's alleged health problems. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
then emerged as the new candidate for governor as he was the current Resident Commissioner and a former PDP president. Acevedo Vilá was victorious in the 2004 elections against a former governor, Pedro Rosselló
, by a margin of 3,556 votes, thus becoming the fifth governor from Popular Democratic Party. He took oath on January 2, 2005.
Acevedo Vilá ran for reelection against the NPP president, Luis Fortuño
, on the November 4, 2008 general elections, but was unsuccessful.
On March 27, 2008 Anibal Acevedo Vila was indicted with 24 federal counts ranging from conspiracy to wire fraud relating to the governor's campaign finances when he was acting as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the US Congress. On March 20, 2009, he was declared not guilty of all charges in a unanimous decision by the 12-juror federal grand jury.
Anibal Acevedo Vilá lost the November 4, 2008, general elections by more than 223,000 votes. Two days later he resigned from the presidency of the Popular Democratic Party. The PDP Executive Director, Aníbal José Torres, resigned as well.
After Anibal Acevedo Vilá resigned from the presidency, Héctor Ferrer Ríos became party president at a time when the party suffered the biggest defeat in its 70-year history. Following those disappointing elections, party leaders looked to reorganize the party and to adjust it to better address the concerns of voters. They turned to Ferrer, in part because of his moderate views and in part because of the ample support he received in the elections. Even when his party suffered a major loss, Ferrer received the most number of votes to the House of Representative, getting more than anyone in the PDP or in the main opposition (and now majority) party, the NPP.
. In the legal realm, decisions of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court can be overruled by higher courts in the United States. PDP supporters charge that this is unsatisfactory arrangement given that Puerto Ricans are not allowed to exercise their democratic right to vote for the person that appoints those judges - the President of the United States
. Puerto Ricans are also not allowed to exercise their democratic right to elect Senatorial representation into the US Senate, the authority within the US of government that is enpowered to approving appointees into the federal court system. Furthermore, Puerto Rican court decisions must be made consistent with the laws of the United States and in alignment with the Constitution of the United States.
The PPD objectives have trended towards gaining further autonomy
and greater local control over the foreign relations
of the Commonwealth. The PPD philosophy and goal is for Puerto Rico to take on more of the character and personality of a sovereign nation and less of the attributes and characteristics of a state
of the American Union. Puerto Ricans, for example, pride themselves in having their own olympics
representation, have an identity with Spanish as their mother tongue, and share an appreciation for their own unique and independent cultural identity.
At their 2007 convention, the PPD approved a new philosophy and set of ideals for the party. The new philosophy, as approved, commits the party to defending a political status for the island that is based in the irrevocable of the people of Puerto Rico to form a sovereignty country. This shift in philosophy from the party's previously-held philosophy—which was more accommodating of the demands of the Americans—caused a stir amongst party detractors since the party was not known for being that liberal before. It had been known to have a more conservative platform best characterized by its unshakable defense of the commonwealth status quo
.
In January 2010, the "government board" of the party approved a resolution presented by the current party president Hector Ferrer, among others, rejecting the free association concept to develop the commonwealth status based on the current free association compacts of the United States with the pacific jurisdictions; the resolution indicate that this free associations compacts does not recognize the indissoluble link between the U.S. and Puerto Rico of the United States Citizenship. Other members of the party reject the resolution indicating that is not in agreement with the official position adopted by the party "general assembly" on the 2007 convention. They indicated that the "government board" could not revoke the decisions of the party "general assembly" and just the "general assembly" itself as the party’s top organ could revoke the 2007 decisions.
The Associated Press reported that Governor Acevedo Vilá announced that "We have started negotiations with other sectors of Puerto Rico, to see in what way we can accelerate that issue and achieve more allies at the UN".
wearing a straw hat, with the words "pan, tierra, libertad" (bread, land, freedom). The party logo was designed by Antonio Colorado, Sr., one of Muñoz's staff members at the PDP and an eventual cabinet member under Muñoz Marin. Since "Colorado" is Spanish for "red", Colorado laid a personal touch to the logo by painting it red. The party's strong association to the color red stands to this day.
The PDP is also unique in Puerto Rican politics in its use of an anthem. "Jalda Arriba" was written by Johnny Rodriguez
, a famous Puerto Rican singer, composer and club owner who was also the elder brother of one of Puerto Rico's most famous international singers, Tito Rodríguez
. Johnny wrote it in 1942, and gave its score to the PDP as a gift in deep admiration of the party's philosophy.
The melody of the song strongly resembles that of a later composition, the theme song for the Anthony Quinn
movie The Secret of Santa Vittoria, which is a tarantella
. The song is such a strong identifier of the party that even a version featuring the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra exists.
Antonio "Tony" Fás Alzamora (long time Senator) ("el del Hacha en el retrato")
Politics
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's current status as a commonwealth
Commonwealth (United States insular area)
In the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is a type of organized but unincorporated dependent territory.The definition of "Commonwealth" according to current U.S. State Department policy reads: "The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific...
.
The PDP is one of three major registered parties in Puerto Rico, along with the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
(NPP), which favors U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
hood, and the Puerto Rican Independence Party
Puerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....
(PIP), which favors complete independence.
Party members are commonly called "populares".
Foundation
Dissidents expelled from the Liberal Party of Puerto Rico (then led by Antonio R. BarcelóAntonio R. Barceló
Antonio Rafael Barceló y Martinez was a lawyer, businessman and the patriarch of what was to become one of Puerto Rico's most prominent political families...
), founded the PPD in 1937–1938. Many of them were part of the old socialist movement of Puerto Rico. The dissident faction, initially calling themselves the Partido Liberal, Neto, Auténtico y Completo ("Clear, Net, Authentic, and Complete Liberal Party
Clear, Net, Authentic, and Complete Liberal Party
The Clear, Net, Authentic, and Complete Liberal Party was a political party in Puerto Rico from 1937 to 1948.Luis Muñoz Marín, the son of a former Resident Commissioner, founded the party after being expelled from the Liberal Party on May 31, 1937. The party was the precursor of the Popular...
"), was led by Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
. In 1937, the debate centered around the more moderate demands of autonomy leading to gradual independence by the Liberal Party faction led by Barcelo, and the more radical demands of immediate independence and social reform by Muñoz and his followers.
Muñoz and other "populares" legally incorporated the PDP in 1938. He intended to call the party Partido Social Democrático, but he was strongly advised not to use the word "social" in the name, as to not alienate Puerto Ricans who feared socialism as a political or economic philosophy. Appealing to the masses (and some say taking a hint from the name of Puerto Rico's most solid institution at the time, the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico), he substituted "Social" for "Popular". He inscribed the party in two towns, San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
San Lorenzo is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the eastern central region, north of Patillas and Yabucoa; south of Gurabo; east of Caguas and Cayey; and west of Juncos and Las Piedras. San Lorenzo is spread over ten wards and San Lorenzo Pueblo...
and Culebra
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Isla Culebra is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo...
. Reportedly the party's first inscribed voter was a San Lorenzo resident which was 120 years old at the time.
1940s
The highest political office a Puerto Rican could be elected to in 1940 was that of president of the local Senate. The governor of Puerto Rico was named directly by the president of the United States (some say as a personal favor to the acting president's political supporters), and as such, no locals were named to the post until 1946. In the 1940 election the PDP finished in a dead heat with the Liberal Party; Muñoz then brokered an alliance with minor Puerto Rican factions as to secure his position as Senate president. Later elections in 1944 and 1948 resulted in increasing victory margins for the PDP; at a time almost all legislative posts and mayoral races in Puerto Rico were won by PDP candidates.Once Jesús T. Piñero
Jesus T. Piñero
Jesús Toribio Piñero Jiménez was the first native Puerto Rican to be appointed governor of Puerto Rico by the Government of the United States.-Early years:...
stepped down as the first Puerto Rican named governor, the governor's office became an elected position. In 1949, under the leadership of Luis Muñoz Marín, the PPD won the first gubernatorial elections in Puerto Rico, and Muñoz became first elected governor of the island. He then initiated the longest continuous rule by a governor in Puerto Rican history (four 4-year terms, for a total of 16 years), surpassed only by one of the former governors under Spanish rule, Miguel de la Torre
Miguel de la Torre
Miguel de la Torre y Pando, conde de Torrepando was a Spanish General, Governor and Captain General, who served in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia and Puerto Rico during the Spanish American wars of independence and after.At the age of fourteen he joined the Spanish Army as a soldier during the War of...
.
1950s
During the 1950s, Luis Muñoz Marín remained as Puerto Rico's governor. In 1952 he assumed the responsibility of pushing forward the drafting of Puerto Rico's Constitution, creating the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. On July 25, 1952, the new constitution went into effect. Munoz also pushed his political-financial platform called Operation Bootstrap (Operación Manos a la Obra) in which he transformed Puerto Rico's economy in to an industrial economy. Teodoro MoscosoTeodoro Moscoso
Teodoro Moscoso Mora , was a Puerto Rican politician known as "the architect of "Operation Bootstrap".-Early years:...
was in charge of the project.
1960s
In 1964, PDP candidate Roberto Sánchez VilellaRoberto Sánchez Vilella
Roberto Sánchez Vilella was the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969. He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
had become the second governor to be democratically elected in Puerto Rico. The party remained in power until 1968, when Luis A. Ferré
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
, candidate from the newly established New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (PNP). The win has been credited to the division among populares during the 1968 gubernatorial race. The division resulted from personal and irreconcilable differences between PDP founder Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
and then current governor Roberto Sánchez Vilella. Luis Muñoz Marín opposed Sánchez Vilella's attempt to run for reelection and at a party assembly Munoz nominated a new candidate for governor, Luis Negrón López
Luis Negrón López
Luis Negrón López was a politician from Puerto Rico. Negrón was among the founding members of the Popular Democratic Party and served as Senator and as candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico in the elections of 1968....
. This caused a deep division in the PDP causing Sánchez Vilella to create a new party called Partido del Pueblo (People's Party (Puerto Rico)). The new party's motto was "Que el pueblo decida", (Let the people decide). The motto was obviously directed to Luis Muñoz Marín who denied Sánchez Vilella a primary. Sánchez Vilella ran under his new party and Negrón López ran under the PDP, causing the split in the party and in the election results. This give Luis A. Ferré
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
(NPP) the victory and resulted in the first defeat for the PDP in a general election.
1970s
In 1972 the PDP had renovated itself and had a young and fresh leader in former senate president Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
. After the 1968 electoral defeat Muñoz Marín felt so guilty and responsible for his party's loss that he decided to go into "exile" in Italy to stay away from local politics and let the party renovate. Muñoz Marín returned to Puerto Rico only to present the new leader of the party and new candidate for governor Rafael Hernández Colón before 300,000 people in Hato Rey at a party meeting. In the 1972 general election Hernández Colón defeated Ferré by a wide margin and his party won in all but 4 municipalities. However, this was a short-lived success for the party as, in 1976, NPP candidate and then San Juan mayor, Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
, defeated Hernández Colón.
1980s
In 1980, posted Rafael Hernández Colón again as gubernatorial candidate. The election was very controversial as PDP followers alleged that there were irregularities during the vote count. Suspicion arouse, for example, when the power went out during the night while results were being counted. PDP supporters noted that before the power went out the vote count was favoring Hernández Colón, but when the power was restored results started favoring Romero Barceló. The Populares alleged fraud, thus giving birth to Hernandez Colón's famous phrase "Populares, a defender esos votos a las trincheras de la lucha" (Populares, let's fight for those votes in the trenches). After a recount Romero Barceló won by 3,000 votes, but the PDP won almost every other part of the election.In 1984, Hernández Colón once again became governor defeating his long time political rival Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
of the NPP. His second term was marked by his successful fight to keep federal Law 936 (U.S.C. TITLE 26, Subtitle A, CHAPTER 1, Subchapter N, PART III, Subpart D, § 936, "Puerto Rico and Possession Tax Credit") in force. The PDP had helped establish the law, which allowed American companies to operate in Puerto Rico with tax breaks.
In 1988, Hernández Colón was re-elected by a comfortable margin. This election witnessed a controversial debate between Hernández Colón and his NPP adversary Corrada del Río. In it, Hernández Colón surprised Corrada by arriving unexpected at his own debate. That same year Héctor Luis Acevedo
Héctor Luis Acevedo
Héctor Luis Acevedo is a politician from Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the son of Héctor N. Acevedo and Toñita, both public servants...
, the PDP mayoral candidate for San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, won the San Juan mayoral race by only 49 votes.
In 1988, Santos Ortiz, a.k.a "El Negro", mayor of Cabo Rojo
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
, left the PDP. "El Negro" was the name of Juan Josue Rodriguez went on to become the first person not affiliated with Marin and any of the three major parties in Puerto Rico to win an elected position in Puerto Rico when he retained his seat as mayor running as an independent.
1990s
Victoria Muñoz Mendoza
Victoria "Melo" Muñoz Mendoza is a former politician from Puerto Rico. She is the daughter of the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín, founder of the Popular Democratic Party and his second wife, Inés Mendoza...
, daughter of Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
, to run for governor. She became the first woman in Puerto Rican history to run for governor, but she lost the election to Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
. In 1996, Héctor Luis Acevedo
Héctor Luis Acevedo
Héctor Luis Acevedo is a politician from Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the son of Héctor N. Acevedo and Toñita, both public servants...
ran for governor, but once again, the PDP candidate lost to Roselló, who received over a million votes. The PDP, however, won the second most important position in Puerto Rico which is the San Juan mayor seat with Sila María Calderón
Sila María Calderón
Sila María Calderón Serra is a Puerto Rican politician and businesswoman who served as the seventh Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first and, to date, only woman elected to that office...
.
Plebiscites
The opposition party, NPP, led two campaigns for Puerto Rican statehood in 1993 and 1998 in which locally-enacted plebiscites were held to consult the Puerto Rican people on the political status with the United States. In 1993 the PDP campaigned in favor of the status quo CommonwealthCommonwealth (United States insular area)
In the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is a type of organized but unincorporated dependent territory.The definition of "Commonwealth" according to current U.S. State Department policy reads: "The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific...
, while the opposition campaigned for the annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
of Puerto Rico to the United States via statehood
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
. The Commonwealth option, supported by the PDP, was victorious, receiving 48% of the votes. In 1998, NPP Governor Dr. Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
carried out a non-binding plebiscite which gave electors four political status options
Political status of Puerto Rico
The current political status of Puerto Rico is the result of various political activities both within the United States and Puerto Rican governments. The basic question regarding this issue is whether Puerto Rico should remain a U.S. territory, become a U.S...
and a fifth one, None of the Above. The Popular Democratic Party led a campaign to boycott the plebiscite, calling on the electorate to vote for the None of the Above option. The boycott was successful, as the None of the Above column garnered more votes than any of the other options. Rosselló argued before Congress that statehood had won the plebiscite as he later said that the fifth option (None of the Above) was an invalid vote.
2000s
In 2000, Sila María CalderónSila María Calderón
Sila María Calderón Serra is a Puerto Rican politician and businesswoman who served as the seventh Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first and, to date, only woman elected to that office...
regained the governor's seat for the PDP, beating NPP's candidate Carlos Ignacio Pesquera, and Puerto Rican Independence Party
Puerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....
(PIP) candidate Ruben Berrios
Rubén Berríos
Rubén Ángel Berríos Martínez is a lawyer, a Puerto Rican politician, and the current president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party...
.
When Calderón announced that she would not be running for governor in 2004 she proposed José Alfredo Hernández Mayoral, son of Rafael Hernández Colón, as the new candidate for governor. Two months after Calderón named Hernández Mayoral as head of the party he resigned and retired from political life because of his son's alleged health problems. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
then emerged as the new candidate for governor as he was the current Resident Commissioner and a former PDP president. Acevedo Vilá was victorious in the 2004 elections against a former governor, Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
, by a margin of 3,556 votes, thus becoming the fifth governor from Popular Democratic Party. He took oath on January 2, 2005.
Acevedo Vilá ran for reelection against the NPP president, Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...
, on the November 4, 2008 general elections, but was unsuccessful.
On March 27, 2008 Anibal Acevedo Vila was indicted with 24 federal counts ranging from conspiracy to wire fraud relating to the governor's campaign finances when he was acting as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the US Congress. On March 20, 2009, he was declared not guilty of all charges in a unanimous decision by the 12-juror federal grand jury.
Anibal Acevedo Vilá lost the November 4, 2008, general elections by more than 223,000 votes. Two days later he resigned from the presidency of the Popular Democratic Party. The PDP Executive Director, Aníbal José Torres, resigned as well.
After Anibal Acevedo Vilá resigned from the presidency, Héctor Ferrer Ríos became party president at a time when the party suffered the biggest defeat in its 70-year history. Following those disappointing elections, party leaders looked to reorganize the party and to adjust it to better address the concerns of voters. They turned to Ferrer, in part because of his moderate views and in part because of the ample support he received in the elections. Even when his party suffered a major loss, Ferrer received the most number of votes to the House of Representative, getting more than anyone in the PDP or in the main opposition (and now majority) party, the NPP.
Political ideals
The PDP political platform calls for a sovereign, autonomous, Puerto Rico that maintains a voluntary relationship with the United States in areas of mutual benefit, such as national defense. Two notable areas of discontent with the current political arrangement are the taxation system and the enpowerment of the courts. Currently, custom duties and the authority to enter into treaties with foreign nations remain within the control of the federal government of the United StatesFederal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
. In the legal realm, decisions of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court can be overruled by higher courts in the United States. PDP supporters charge that this is unsatisfactory arrangement given that Puerto Ricans are not allowed to exercise their democratic right to vote for the person that appoints those judges - the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Puerto Ricans are also not allowed to exercise their democratic right to elect Senatorial representation into the US Senate, the authority within the US of government that is enpowered to approving appointees into the federal court system. Furthermore, Puerto Rican court decisions must be made consistent with the laws of the United States and in alignment with the Constitution of the United States.
The PPD objectives have trended towards gaining further autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
and greater local control over the foreign relations
Foreign relations
Foreign relations refers to the ongoing management of relationships between a public policy administrative organisation of a state and other entities external to its authority or influence...
of the Commonwealth. The PPD philosophy and goal is for Puerto Rico to take on more of the character and personality of a sovereign nation and less of the attributes and characteristics of a state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of the American Union. Puerto Ricans, for example, pride themselves in having their own olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
representation, have an identity with Spanish as their mother tongue, and share an appreciation for their own unique and independent cultural identity.
At their 2007 convention, the PPD approved a new philosophy and set of ideals for the party. The new philosophy, as approved, commits the party to defending a political status for the island that is based in the irrevocable of the people of Puerto Rico to form a sovereignty country. This shift in philosophy from the party's previously-held philosophy—which was more accommodating of the demands of the Americans—caused a stir amongst party detractors since the party was not known for being that liberal before. It had been known to have a more conservative platform best characterized by its unshakable defense of the commonwealth status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
.
In January 2010, the "government board" of the party approved a resolution presented by the current party president Hector Ferrer, among others, rejecting the free association concept to develop the commonwealth status based on the current free association compacts of the United States with the pacific jurisdictions; the resolution indicate that this free associations compacts does not recognize the indissoluble link between the U.S. and Puerto Rico of the United States Citizenship. Other members of the party reject the resolution indicating that is not in agreement with the official position adopted by the party "general assembly" on the 2007 convention. They indicated that the "government board" could not revoke the decisions of the party "general assembly" and just the "general assembly" itself as the party’s top organ could revoke the 2007 decisions.
Support for discussion of Puerto Rico status within U.N. General Assembly
On January 8, 2007, Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá stated that he intends to garner support to have the political status of Puerto Rico considered before the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). He also expressed that he expected such support to come from both inside and outside of Puerto Rico as well as from within and beyond the PPD.The Associated Press reported that Governor Acevedo Vilá announced that "We have started negotiations with other sectors of Puerto Rico, to see in what way we can accelerate that issue and achieve more allies at the UN".
Party logo and song
The PDP uses as a logo the silhouette of a rural farm worker jibaroJíbaro
Jíbaro is a term from the Taíno words "jiba" and "ro", that means forest people, commonly used in Puerto Rico to refer to mountain-dwelling peasants, but in modern times it has gained a broader cultural meaning.-History:...
wearing a straw hat, with the words "pan, tierra, libertad" (bread, land, freedom). The party logo was designed by Antonio Colorado, Sr., one of Muñoz's staff members at the PDP and an eventual cabinet member under Muñoz Marin. Since "Colorado" is Spanish for "red", Colorado laid a personal touch to the logo by painting it red. The party's strong association to the color red stands to this day.
The PDP is also unique in Puerto Rican politics in its use of an anthem. "Jalda Arriba" was written by Johnny Rodriguez
Johnny Rodriguez
Johnny Rodriguez is an American country music singer. He was the first famous Latin American country music singer, infusing his music with Latin sounds, and even singing verses of songs in Spanish....
, a famous Puerto Rican singer, composer and club owner who was also the elder brother of one of Puerto Rico's most famous international singers, Tito Rodríguez
Tito Rodriguez
Tito Rodríguez was a popular 1950s and 1960s Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He is known by many fans as "El Inolvidable" , a moniker based on his most popular interpretation, a song written by composer Julio Gutierrez.-Early years:Rodríguez , born in Santurce, Puerto Rico,...
. Johnny wrote it in 1942, and gave its score to the PDP as a gift in deep admiration of the party's philosophy.
The melody of the song strongly resembles that of a later composition, the theme song for the Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
movie The Secret of Santa Vittoria, which is a tarantella
Tarantella
The term tarantella groups a number of different southern Italian couple folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in 6/8 time , accompanied by tambourines. It is among the most recognized of traditional Italian music. The specific dance name varies with every region, for instance...
. The song is such a strong identifier of the party that even a version featuring the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra exists.
Party presidents
- Luis Muñoz MarínLuis Muñoz MarínDon José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
(1938–1972) - Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
(1972–1976) - Miguel Hernández AgostoMiguel Hernández AgostoMiguel Hernández Agosto is a Puerto Rican politician whose service in government has spanned several generations.Finished his bachelor studies at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Then, went to Michigan where he graduated from Michigan State University with a Masters degree and from...
(1976–1984) - Rafael Hernández Colón (1984–1992)
- Victoria Muñoz MendozaVictoria Muñoz MendozaVictoria "Melo" Muñoz Mendoza is a former politician from Puerto Rico. She is the daughter of the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín, founder of the Popular Democratic Party and his second wife, Inés Mendoza...
(1992–1994) - Héctor Luis AcevedoHéctor Luis AcevedoHéctor Luis Acevedo is a politician from Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the son of Héctor N. Acevedo and Toñita, both public servants...
(1994–1997) - Aníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
(1997–1999) - Sila María CalderónSila María CalderónSila María Calderón Serra is a Puerto Rican politician and businesswoman who served as the seventh Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first and, to date, only woman elected to that office...
(1999–2003) - Aníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
(2003–2008) - Héctor Ferrer Ríos (2008 – 2011)
- Alejandro Garcia PadillaAlejandro García PadillaAlejandro García Padilla is a Puerto Rican Senator, President of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, and candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico as of March 2011.- Early years and studies :...
(2011 – present)
Gubernatorial nominees
- Luis Muñoz MarínLuis Muñoz MarínDon José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
(won) - Roberto Sánchez VilellaRoberto Sánchez VilellaRoberto Sánchez Vilella was the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969. He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
(won) - Luis Negrón LópezLuis Negrón LópezLuis Negrón López was a politician from Puerto Rico. Negrón was among the founding members of the Popular Democratic Party and served as Senator and as candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico in the elections of 1968....
(lost) - Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
(won & lost) - Victoria Muñoz MendozaVictoria Muñoz MendozaVictoria "Melo" Muñoz Mendoza is a former politician from Puerto Rico. She is the daughter of the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Muñoz Marín, founder of the Popular Democratic Party and his second wife, Inés Mendoza...
(lost) - Héctor Luis AcevedoHéctor Luis AcevedoHéctor Luis Acevedo is a politician from Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the son of Héctor N. Acevedo and Toñita, both public servants...
(lost) - Sila María CalderónSila María CalderónSila María Calderón Serra is a Puerto Rican politician and businesswoman who served as the seventh Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 2001 to 2005. She is the first and, to date, only woman elected to that office...
(won) - José Alfredo Hernández Mayoral (Resigned before the general elections)
- Aníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
(won & lost)
Other major leaders
- Héctor FerrerHector FerrerHéctor J. Ferrer Ríos is a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician who presides the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.Héctor Ferrer became president of the Popular Democratic Party shortly after November 2008 when the Party suffered the biggest defeat in its seventy-year history...
(House Minority Speaker, Party VicePresident) - Felisa Rincón de GautierFelisa Rincón de GautierFelisa Rincón de GautierThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name "Rincón" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Gautier"...
(Former San JuanSan Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
Mayor and party leader) - Antonio Fernós Isern (Party leader and former Resident CommissionerResident CommissionerResident Commissioner is the title of several, quite different types of Commissioner in overseas possession or protectorate of the British Crown or of the United States.-British English:...
) - Teodoro MoscosoTeodoro MoscosoTeodoro Moscoso Mora , was a Puerto Rican politician known as "the architect of "Operation Bootstrap".-Early years:...
(Party leader and architect of Operation BootstrapOperation BootstrapFor other uses, see Bootstrapping and Bootstrapping .Operation Bootstrap is the name given to the ambitious projects which industrialized Puerto Rico in the mid-20th century.-History:...
) - Celeste Benítez (Former Secretary of Education and Resident CommissionerResident CommissionerResident Commissioner is the title of several, quite different types of Commissioner in overseas possession or protectorate of the British Crown or of the United States.-British English:...
candidate in the 1996 elections) - José Aponte de la TorreJosé Aponte de la TorreJosé Ernesto Aponte de la Torre was a Puerto Rican politician and mayor of Carolina for 22 years.-Biography:...
(Former Party Vice-President and Carolina Mayor) - Roberto PratsRoberto PratsRoberto Prats Palerm is a former Senator of Puerto Rico, a lawyer, and a former candidate for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the elections of 2004...
( former Senator of Puerto Rico, a lawyer, and a former candidate for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the elections of 2004) - Antonio ColoradoAntonio ColoradoAntonio J. Colorado Laguna is a lawyer and politician from New York City, U.S.. He served as Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico for the administration of Rafael Hernández Colón.-Biography:...
- Former Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1990 to 1992. Former candidate for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the 1992 elections. - José M. Dávila MonsantoJosé M. Dávila MonsantoJosé M. Dávila Monsanto was a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer who in 1938 co-founded the political party Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico , otherwise known as the PPD...
- Former Senator and co-founded the "PPD". - José Enrique ArrarásJosé Enrique ArrarásJosé Enrique Arrarás Mir is a notable Puerto Rican politician.- Early life :Arrarás was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He obtained his primary and secondary education at Immaculate Conception Academy in Mayagüez and Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.- Education :He obtained a B.A...
- Lionel Fernández Méndez
- José Luis DalmauJosé Luis DalmauJosé Luis Dalmau Santiago is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. He is the current Minority Leader for the Popular Democratic Party on the Senate of Puerto Rico.-Public office:...
(Senate Minority Speaker) - Aníbal José Torres (Former Head of the Governor's Office and current Party Executive Director)
- Alfredo Salazar (former candidate for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the elections of 2008)
- Carmen "Yulín" Cruz (Party Women's President)
- Juan Eugenio Hernández Mayoral (Senator)
- Luis Vega Ramos (At-Large House Representative, Sovereignty faction leader )
- Charlie Hernandez (Mayagüez district House Representative)
- Adolfo L. Monserrate AnselmiAdolfo L. Monserrate AnselmiAdolfo L. Monserrate Anselmi was born in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. He became of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives for the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico when Francisco Gustavo Solís a Representative for the District of San Juan resigned.He graduated form the University of Puerto...
- Eduardo BhatiaEduardo BhatiaEduardo Bhatia Gautier is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. He is the current Minority Whip in the Senate of Puerto Rico for the Popular Democratic Party...
(Senator) - Ernesto Ramos AntoniniErnesto Ramos AntoniniErnesto Ramos Antonini was the President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico and co-founder of the Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico .-Early years:...
(Former House President) - Jaime BenítezJaime BenitezJaime Benítez Rexach was a Puerto Rican author, academic and politician. He was the longest serving chancellor and the first president of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early life:...
(Former University of Puerto RicoUniversity of Puerto RicoThe University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
President and Resident Commissioner) - Vicente Géigel Polanco
- José Ronaldo "Ronny" Jarabo
- Severo Colberg Ramírez "El Látigo"
- Benjamin Cole long time former mayor of Mayagüez
Antonio "Tony" Fás Alzamora (long time Senator) ("el del Hacha en el retrato")
See also
Ideology- LiberalismLiberalismLiberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
- Liberalism worldwideLiberalism worldwideThis article gives information on liberalism in diverse countries around the world. It is an overview of parties that adhere more or less to the ideas of political liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world....
- Liberal democracyLiberal democracyLiberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
- Contributions to liberal theoryContributions to liberal theoryIndividual contributors to classical liberalism and political liberalism are associated with philosophers of the Enlightenment. Liberalism as a specifically named ideology begins in the late 18th century as a movement towards self-government and away from aristocracy...
- AutonomyAutonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
- Associated Republic
- CommonwealthCommonwealthCommonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
- SovereigntySovereigntySovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
- Social DemocracySocial democracySocial democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
Politics
- List of political parties in Puerto Rico
- Politics of Puerto RicoPolitics of Puerto RicoThe politics of Puerto Rico take place in the framework of a republican democratic form of government that is under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States of America as an organized unincorporated territory....