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WORLD NEWS Friday 17 June 2022
Puerto Rico party to hold vote on its political future

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The Popular Democratic
— With a possible plebi- Party has roughly 400,000
scite on statehood or inde- supporters on the island of
pendence for Puerto Rico 2.3 million people and it got
looming, one of the island's about 32% of the guberna-
two main parties said Thurs- torial vote in the 2020 elec-
day it will ask its members tion — just behind the New
to reconsider or reaffirm Progressive Party's 33%.
its own stance on the U.S. Support for both parties
territory's political future by has been eroding due to
holding an island wide vote frustration over corruption
on the issue. scandals, economic prob-
The announcement by lems and mismanagement.
José Luis Dalmau, president Dalmau, who is also the
of the Popular Democratic president of Puerto Rico's
Party, follows a proposal Senate, said he would
last month by a group of continue to support the is-
U.S. legislators to hold a land's current political sta-
binding plebiscite giving tus, which he said was "the
Puerto Ricans three op- masterpiece of the move-
tions: Become America's ment's founder."
51st state, become fully Political analyst Mario Ne-
independent or opt for in- grón Portillo said Dalmau
dependence with free as- is likely taking the risk of
sociation — possibly main- holding a historic vote be-
taining U.S. citizenship and cause he wants to put an
other ties with the U.S.. That The Puerto Rican flag flies in front of Puerto Rico's Capitol as in San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 29, 2015. end to the intensifying de-
vote would not include Associated Press bate within the party and
the possibility of maintain- believes the large majority
ing the current common- Its main rival, the current Associated Press that it's ties to the U.S. while others of its supporters will uphold
wealth status. governor's New Progressive too early to say whether seek more independence the status quo.
That choice would appear Party, advocates for state- that would be based on in some areas. "This is a gamble," he said.
to threaten the future of hood. the free association op- "For decades, this issue Matos said that on the day
Dalmau's party, founded Possible statehood will not tion that U.S. lawmakers has divided us," Dalmau of the vote, party officials in
in the 1930s, which is de- be an option in the PDP's proposed as one of three said. "Since two parallel each of the island's 78 mu-
fined by its support for the Aug. 14 vote. Dalmau said choices. strategies and two distinct nicipalities would recog-
current status, under which the current status and a Within the Popular Demo- popular parties cannot ex- nize supporters and allow
Puerto Ricans have U.S. citi- free association option that cratic Party, opinions vary ist, it's up to the thousands them to vote. If not, rec-
zenship but the island has he did not define would be as to what sort of common- of (party supporters) to re- ognized, voters would be
quasi-autonomy from the offered. Party spokesman wealth best suits Puerto solve the controversy and asked to fill out a member-
United States. Ángel Raúl Matos told The Rico. Some argue for closer make the final decision." ship statement.q

Bitcoin-boosting Salvadoran leader may have second thoughts

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador apparent incredulity Tues- "That must be made clear,
(AP) — El Salvador's Bitcoin- day: "You're telling me we because we have not sold."
boosting president may be should buy more #BTC?" However, most companies
having second thoughts Bukele became the first and governments do write
about the crypto-currency, leader in the world to make down the value of what
whose value has tanked in the crypto-currency legal accountants call an "un-
recent weeks. tender last year and was a realized loss," even if they
According to the tracking devoted booster at least up don't sell the distressed as-
site nayibtracker.com, El to May, when he crowed set. Zelaya also insisted the
Salvador under President about "buying the dip" in Bitcoin slide doesn't matter
Nayib Bukele's administra- the crypto currency's price. very much for El Salvador,
tion has bought a total of But the coin has slid further saying that "this doesn't
about $105 million in Bit- since then. even represent 0.5% of our
coin, starting last Septem- Finance Minister Alejandro budget."
ber and paying an aver- Zelaya sought Wednesday That might prove a hard sell
age of almost $46,000 per in an interview with a local in a country where about A bitcoin symbol is presented on an LED screen during the clos-
coin. television station to put a one-fifth of the people live ing ceremony of a congress for cryptocurrency investors in San-
The value of that invest- good face on the situation, on less than $5.50 per day. ta Maria Mizata, El Salvador, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.
ment is now calculated to saying that because El Sal- In January, El Salvador re- Associated Press
have fallen by over 50%, or vador hasn't sold any of its jected a recommendation
around $51 million. Bitcoins, it hasn't really suf- by the International Mon- calling it an issue of "sover- der and return any of those
So when a Bitcoin publi- fered any loss. etary Fund to drop Bitcoin eignty." unused funds to its treasury.
cation crowed that El Sal- "When they tell me that El as legal tender. The IMF recommended The IMF cited concerns
vador has lost "only" $40 Salvador's budgetary risk Zelaya said at the time that that El Salvador dissolve about the volatility of Bit-
million on its investment in has increased because of "no international organiza- the $150 million trust fund it coin prices, and the possi-
the currency also known as the supposed loss, that loss tion is going to make us do created when it made the bility of criminals using the
"BTC," Bukele tweeted with doesn't exist," Zelaya said. anything, anything at all," cryptocurrency legal ten- cryptocurrency.q