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General elections were held inPuerto Rico in November 6, 1900. These were the first elections after theUnited States annexed the territory fromSpain following theSpanish–American War in 1898. There were no direct elections to the office ofGovernor of Puerto Rico (held byCharles Herbert Allen), who was appointed directly by thePresident of the United States.
The elections were held under theForaker Act, a U.S. federal law that established the first civilian government on the island after the change of sovereignty. The elective offices in the elections included the 35 seats in theHouse of Delegates, the lower house of the island's legislature, theResident Commissioner (an elected figure who represented Puerto Rico in theUnited States House of Representatives without the right to vote), mayors, boards of councils, school commissioners and road supervisors.[1]
The Foraker Act stipulated that the executive branch, represented by theGovernor of Puerto Rico, the Senate, the Executive Council and the judiciary would be appointed by thePresident of the United States, with the notice and consent of theUnited States Senate.
The Executive Council composed of six Americans and five Puerto Ricans determined the electoral rules.
Suffrage was denied to women, and only men over 21 who paid government contributions or who were literate were granted the right to vote.
TheFederal Party boycotted the elections and called for voters to abstain from voting, which resulted in a landslide victory for theRepublican Party, withFederico Degetau being electedResident Commissioner with 99.75% of the vote, defeating Manuel R. Gatell of the Federal Party, which only received 0.25% of the vote.[1][2]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federico Degetau | Republican Party | 58,297 | 99.75 | |
| Manuel R. Gatell | Federal Party | 148 | 0.25 | |
| Total | 58,445 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: Nolla | ||||
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | 291,358 | 99.79 | 35 | |
| Federal Party | 617 | 0.21 | 0 | |
| Total | 291,975 | 100.00 | 35 | |
| Source: Nolla | ||||
| Governor | |
|---|---|
| Legislative Assembly | |
| Resident Commissioner | |
| Municipal elections | |
| Referendums | |
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