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A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 10 June 2017

Puerto Rico prepares to vote on political status amid crisis

By DANICA COTO who answered a second
Associated Press question said they favored
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) statehood, but nearly half
— Puerto Rico’s governor is a million voters left that
pushing ahead with his top question blank, leading
campaign promise of try- many to claim the results
ing to convert the U.S. ter- were not legitimate.
ritory into a state, holding a Critics question the timing
Sunday referendum to let of the newest referendum,
voters send a message to coming about a month
Congress. after Puerto Rico’s gover-
His party has launched an nor announced the island
aggressive ad campaign would enter a bankruptcy-
urging people to “demand like process to restructure
respect” with their vote — part of its $73 billion public
to choose statehood so the debt.
island can obtain equal “Pushing statehood under
treatment from the federal normal times would be dif-
government that some say ficult enough; to push while
would ease a 10-year eco- literally under bankruptcy
nomic recession that has court is absolutely ridicu-
spurred nearly half a million lous,” said Amilcar Barreto,
Puerto Ricans to flee to the a Northeastern University
U.S. mainland. The Puerto Rican flag flies in front of Puerto Rico’s Capitol as in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s associate professor who
While Puerto Rico is exempt governor is pushing ahead with his top campaign promise of trying to convert the U.S. territory into focuses on Puerto Rico
a state, holding a Sunday June 11, 2017, referendum to let voters send a message to Congress.
from the U.S. federal in- (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo) politics and identity. “There
come tax, it still pays Social has collapsed, society is Rico would hold another interviewed favored state- couldn’t be a worse time
Security and Medicare and ... They really haven’t giv-
local taxes but receives less in a crisis, the government referendum in early Oc- hood, compared with 17 en much thought, perhaps
percent for the status quo
cannot sustain itself, and tober with those two op-
federal funding than U.S. out of desperation, on how
states. we have seen with much tions. Regardless of the ref- and 15 percent for free as- that’s going to swing in
pain how our people leave erendum’s outcome, the sociation/independence. It
Statehood supporters and Congress.”
some economists say this us in search of a better U.S. government has final had a margin of error of 3.2 Three political parties in
chance of quality of life.”
say on changes to Puerto percentage points. “Our
unequal treatment has Puerto Rico are boycot-
contributed to the island’s The referendum coincides Rico’s political status, and colonial status is unsustain- ting Sunday’s referendum,
with the 100th anniversary many believe a Republi-
able and has contributed
deep economic crisis, including the main op-
which was largely driven of U.S. citizenship being can-led Congress would to the current fiscal and position party. They ques-
granted to Puerto Ricans, not approve Puerto Rico economic crisis,” Rossello
by heavy borrowing and in tion why the government
part by the elimination of who are barred from par- becoming the 51st state. said. is spending more than $5
ticipating in presidential A recent survey by Gaither Puerto Rico has held four
federal tax incentives. million on the vote amid
“It’s clear we need to elections and have a rep- International found that previous referendums on a crisis, and note that the
resentative in Congress more than 60 percent of the issue. No clear ma-
change our course toward U.S. Justice Department
a new future,” said Puerto with limited voting powers. people interviewed be- jority emerged in the first has not backed the refer-
three, with voters almost
Voters will choose one of lieved that solving the is-
Rico Sen. Carmelo Rios, a endum.
member of the governor’s three options: statehood, land’s status would ease evenly divided between A department spokesman
free association/indepen-
Puerto Rico’s problems. A statehood and the status
party. “Puerto Rico is at told The Associated Press
its most critical point in its dence or the current ter- May 24-26 house-to-house quo. During the last refer- that the agency has not
ritorial status. If a majority poll published by local endum in 2012, 54 percent
modern history, where its reviewed or approved the
political-economic model chooses “free association/ newspaper El Nuevo Dia said they wanted a status language on the ballot.
independence,” Puerto found 52 percent of those change. Sixty-one percent Federal officials in April re-
2 international oil firms to explore deposits in Guyana jected an earlier version,
in part because it did not
include the territory’s cur-
GEORGETOWN, Guyana and Toronto-based Eco tain up to 1.4 billion barrels ration revealed at least two rent status as an option.
(AP) — Two international (Atlantic) Oil & Gas made of oil and an undisclosed significant reservoir leads. Rossello’s administration
oil companies say they will the announcement on Fri- amount of gas. Neighboring Venezuela added it and sent the bal-
start exploring off the South day. Both have offshore Company officials said they has rejected planned de- lot back for review, but the
American coast of Guyana concessions just a few miles still start surveying the area velopment of oil fields in department said it needed
that is believed to be rich in from where U.S. oil giant by late June and expect Guyana because they are more time and asked that
natural resources. Exxon Mobil Corp. found to drill the first well in 2018. allegedly in waters claimed the vote be postponed,
London-based Tullow Oil a well believed to con- They said preliminary explo- by both countries.q which it wasn’t. q