Puerto Rico decided to become a US state

61% of Puerto Rico residents advocated the transformation of the state into the 51st state of the United States, AP reports with reference to the referendum data, which was held on November 7. 33% voted for the status of a sovereign associated state in an alliance with the United States, only 5% supported the complete independence of the territory.

The final decision to include Puerto Rico will make the US Congress, which owns the supreme power on the archipelago.

Recall that the “freely associated state of Puerto Rico” has the status of an autonomous territory of the United States. The US archipelago was included in the USA in 1898. Residents of the islands have American passports and do not pay federal taxes, but they cannot choose the president of the United States . Puerto Rico has its own constitution, legislative, executive and judicial branches of power. Communication with the United States consists in the presence of general citizenship, currency and defense. Governor Puerto Rico-Luis Fortuno.

Since the 2000s, Puerto Rico has been actively discussing the issue of the political status of the archipelago. Bill Clinton created a special commission on the status of Puerto Rico, which confirmed the current status and recommended granting the island citizens the right to self-determination. At the first stage of the referendum, 54% of Puerto Rico voters chose a new political device. Republicans are opposed to Puerto Rico entry into the United States, who are not satisfied with the second official language of the archipelago-Spanish and the prospect of providing Puerto Rico six places in the lower house of Congress, which will have to be taken away from other states.