Puerto Rico residents came to referendum

Residents of Puerto Rico vote on the referendum on state status of their Islands.

“The inhabitants of the territory I propose to answer how they see its future status: an independent state, joining the United States of America on the rights of the state or maintaining the current status, which is valid since 1898, a territory that has the rights of self-government under the jurisdiction of the United States,” – said in the message.

The referendum is non-binding, because only the Congress has the right to change the status of Puerto Rico. It is noted that the current Governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rossello in favour of entering the territory of the United States on an equal basis the 51st state, but U.S. congressmen have shown little enthusiasm for this prospect.

One of the reasons why the authorities of Puerto Rico to support full integration in the United States are economic difficulties – the external debt of the territory is about $ 70 billion, and at the moment it is restructured. If Puerto Rico were a US state, it could declare itself insolvent, then the responsibility for his debts would have had to take on Washington.

More than 3 million residents of Puerto Rico are US citizens, but they have no right to vote in elections for US President, and the delegation of the Islands in Congress has no voting rights.Go to the Main page

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