Puerto Rico, a freely associated state led by the United States, will hold a referendum on its status on November 3. It is reported RIA News.
Citizens will have to answer the only question: “Should Puerto Rico be immediately accepted into the United States.” It is specified that the results of the will will not be binding in the United States. The appropriate decision can only be made by the US Congress.
According to local authorities, joining the United States is the best way to increase the welfare of the island. The country’s external debt exceeds $ 80 billion, 45 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, the country has a low quality of education and health care, as well as a practically inactive pension system.
Similar referendum took place in Puerto Rico on June 12, 2017. Then 97 percent of the island’s population voted to join the United States as the 51st state. However, the US Department of Justice did not support the congressional vote.
Puerto Rico – a territory dependent on the United States, is controlled by the United States, but is not an integral part of it. Puerto Ricans have dual citizenship – Puerto Rico and the United States, without the right to participate in the election of the US President.
