Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 12 June 2017

At Press Time:

Partial results: Most voters in Puerto Rico back statehood

regardless of the referen- given us the answer.”
dum’s final outcome. And Many believe the island’s
three Puerto Rican politi- territorial status has con-
cal parties that favor other tributed to its 10-year eco-
options than statehood nomic recession, which
boycotted the vote, which has prompted nearly half a
took place amid an eco- million Puerto Ricans to flee
nomic crisis that has trig- to the U.S. mainland and
gered an exodus of island- was largely sparked by de-
ers to the U.S. mainland. cades of heavy borrowing
Puerto Rico Senate Presi- and the elimination of fed-
dent Thomas Rivera Schatz eral tax incentives.
vowed to push for state- Puerto Rico is exempt from
hood anyway. the U.S. federal income
“Congress never freely tax, but it still pays Social
gave away statehood,” Security and Medicare
he said. “U.S. states had to and local taxes and re-
fight for it.” ceives less federal funding
The referendum coincides than U.S. states.
with the 100th anniversary Those inequalities and the
of the United States grant- ongoing crisis prompted
ing U.S. citizenship to Puer- 66-year-old Maria Qui-
to Ricans, though they are nones to vote for the first
Puerto Rican citizens wait in line to vote during the fifth referendum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, barred from voting in presi- time in such a referendum,
Sunday, June 11, 2017. A large majority of voters in Puerto Rico supported U.S. statehood for their dential elections and have the fifth on Puerto Rico’s
island in a referendum on Sunday, according to partial results, but a low turnout and a boycott by
several opposition parties called into question the validity of the non-binding vote. only one congressional status.
(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti) representative with limited “We have to vote because
voting powers. things are not going well,”
By DANICA COTO and a boycott by several dependence, with roughly Among those hoping Puer- she said. “If we were a
Associated Press opposition parties called half of polling centers re- to Rico will become a state state, we would have the
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) into question the validity of porting. The participation is Jose Alvarez, a 61-year- same rights.”
— A large majority of voters the non-binding vote. rate was nearly 23 percent old businessman. Quinones said many of her
in Puerto Rico supported More than 480,000 votes with roughly 2.26 million “Now is the moment to do relatives are among the
U.S. statehood for their is- were cast for statehood, registered voters. it,” he said. “We’ve spent nearly half a million Puerto
land in a referendum on more than 7,500 for free as- U.S. Congress has final say a lot of years working on Ricans who have moved
Sunday, according to par- sociation/independence on any changes to the U.S. a socioeconomic model to the U.S. mainland in
tial results, but a low turnout and more than 6,500 for in- territory’s political status, that has not necessarily the past decade to find a
more affordable cost of liv-
Brazil’s president denies spying on judge ing or jobs as the island of
3.4 million people struggles
with a 12 percent unem-
By SARAH DiLORENZO gence Agency to spy on cision was seen as giving and against liberty, if the ployment rate.
Associated Press Edson Fachin, who is the the embattled Temer some report of this illegal invasion Those who remain behind
SAO PAULO (AP) — Presi- justice in charge of an in- breathing room, but the into the life of one of (the have been hit with new
dent Michel Temer is fight- vestigation into whether Te- new accusations threaten court’s) members is con- taxes and higher utility bills
ing new allegations that mer accepted bribes and to sink him anew, further firmed,” she wrote. on an island where food is
his administration turned endorsed buying the si- constraining his ability to Attorney General Rodrigo 22 percent more expen-
Brazil’s spy services on a su- lence of a former lawmak- govern and reinvigorating Janot said he learned of sive than the U.S. mainland
preme court justice investi- er convicted of corruption. calls for his resignation. the accusation with “puz- and public services are 64
gating him for corruption, According to Veja, Temer’s Carmen Lucia, the presi- zlement.” percent more expensive.
the latest in a series of ac- team is looking for a way to dent of the supreme court, “If such an attack on the David Aldarondo, a
cusations that threaten to discredit Fachin — and thus issued a scathing state- powers of the republic and 31-year-old law student
cut short his tenure. hopefully sink the investiga- ment on Saturday, calling the democratic state of from Fishkill, New York, has
In a story posted late Friday tion. The revelations came the alleged spying a tactic law is confirmed, it would lived in Puerto Rico for
on its website, Veja maga- just hours after the Supreme of dictatorships. be one more unhappy epi- nearly a decade and said
zine cites an anonymous Electoral Tribunal cleared “It is unacceptable to com- sode in the grave demo- he believes independence
presidential aide as saying Temer’s 2014 campaign of mit a serious crime against cratic crisis that this country is the best option.
that Temer and his advisers charges that it received il- the Supreme Federal Tri- is going through, “ he said “It would be rough,” he
asked the Brazilian Intelli- legal financing. That de- bunal, against democracy in a statement Saturday.q acknowledged..q