President of the Senate of Puerto Rico | |
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since January 2, 2021 | |
Style | The Honorable diplomatic Mister President when presiding over the Senate |
Nominator | nominated internally by the Senate |
Appointer | elected internally by the Senate |
Term length | 4 years |
Inaugural holder | Antonio R. Barceló August 13, 1917 |
Formation | March 2, 1917 Jones–Shafroth Act Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico |
Deputy | President pro tempore |
The president of the Senate of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Presidente del Senado) is the highest-ranking officer and the presiding officer of the Senate of Puerto Rico. The president has voting powers as it is elected amongst the own members of the Senate as established by Article III of the Constitution of Puerto Rico. The Constitution, however, does not establish its functions and since the Senate is the only body authorized by the Constitution to regulate its own internal affairs, the functions of the president vary from session to session—save being called "President" as the Constitution establishes.[1] The president is typically elected during the Senate's inaugural session.[2]
When absent, the president is substituted by the president pro tempore.[2] Its counterpart in the House is the speaker.
The current president is Jose Luis Dalmau, senator at-large from the Popular Democratic Party