Puerto Ricans skeptical of change after vote for statehood

SAN JUAN: Puerto Ricans are skeptical that the struggling US territory’s political status will change any time soon, even after a vote on Sunday asking the US Congress to make the island the 51st state of the union.

Although Puerto Rico voted overwhelmingly in favor of statehood, low voter turnout may weaken Governor Ricardo Rossello’s case for statehood in Washington, where Puerto Rico is seen as a low priority.

Puerto Rico’s two main opposition parties boycotted Sunday’s vote.

The mainly Spanish speaking island has $70 billion in debt, a 45 percent poverty rate, woefully underperforming schools and near-insolvent pension and health systems. Last month, the territory filed for the biggest municipal bankruptcy in US history.