President of the Senate of Puerto Rico

President of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Incumbent Thomas Rivera Schatz since January 2, 2017
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. The President is typically elected during the Senate's inaugural session.

When absent, the President is substituted by the President pro tempore. Its counterpart in the House is the Speaker.

The current President is Thomas Rivera Schatz, senator at-large from the New Progressive Party.

The President traces its history back to more than 100 years ago when the Jones–Shafroth Act formally established the post on March 2, 1917. Said act was eventually superseded by another law, and the post was eventually established by the Constitution of Puerto Rico, specifically Article III, which establishes that, "The Senate shall elect a President [...] from among [its] members." The Constitution, however, does not establish what a "President" is nor what its function should be. Internal rules adopted by the Senate through a simple resolution establish its definition, functions, responsibilities, and legal scope.