It has such a particular organization that it is full of paradoxes. Are its inhabitants US citizens? Yes, although they do not have all the rights. Can they define the president of the country? Supposedly not, although we could say yes. We invite you to explore the political status of Puerto Rico and anticipate what could happen in the coming years. In the center of America and with a coast on the Caribbean Sea we find Puerto Rico. Together with Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, it is part of the Greater Antilles, a group of islands located between Mexico, the United States and the smaller Lesser Antilles. 3.2 million people live there. In this way, it has a population similar to that of Uruguay, but on an area 19 times smaller. It is a territory with such a particular organization that it is difficult to classify it. Is it independent? Definitely not, even though it has a high degree of autonomy for some issues. Is it part of the United States? Yes, although not in the same way as the rest of the country. Technically it is a Commonwealth. We can also say that it is an organized territory but not incorporated into the union. The same as Guam, the island we met a long time ago in the channel. There is a linguistic curiosity there. The thing is that in the United States, strictly speaking, there is no official language at the federal level, although English is in fact used. But in Puerto Rico there are two: Spanish and English. Almost all those born there have Spanish as their mother tongue. Despite political ties to Washington, most Puerto Ricans do not speak fluent English. Maybe it would be a good idea for them to learn about this application, called Elsa Speak, which sponsors this video. We have been testing it these days and the truth is that it is very useful and entertaining. And the best thing is that it helps us improve pronunciation. For example, with this tool here I can practice phrases or words related to travel. Then the application proposes a word to me and I have to repeat it. Almost correct. You sound 74% like a native speaker. And here it tells me that I have to improve the pronunciation of the V. Ah, worse than the previous one! You sound 67% like a native speaker. Good! 93% like a native speaker. The most interesting thing about Elsa Speak is that it uses artificial intelligence and offers us different conversations in which we have to meet an objective. And at the same time evaluate how we are doing in the speaking part. In the description we leave you two links: with the first, you can download the application and have a seven-day free subscription. With the second you can access an 85% discount on the pro membership for life. Returning to Puerto Rico, to try to understand what this strange legal figure is about, we can present a hypothetical case. It is about comparing the rights of a person who was born in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, and one who was born in Lebanon, in the state of Kansas, right in the geographical center of the 48 contiguous states of the United States. Let's go with the similarities. They are both US citizens. They have the right to have their passport and travel the world with it in the same way. They can also move freely and settle throughout the territory: from Alaska to Puerto Rico and from Hawaii to Maine. Both pay local and federal taxes and receive funds from the central government. They also elect their local representatives and vote in the primaries of the Republican and Democratic parties, where presidential candidates are chosen. So much for the common points. But there are several differences between our imaginary citizens of Puerto Rico and Kansas. In principle, the representation. The one who lives in Kansas has two senators and one representative in the United States Congress. And also, of course, you have the possibility of casting your vote for president. On the other hand, the Puerto Rican, if he lives where he was born, will not be able to do so. The island only sends one representative to Congress who does not have a vote. In short, we can see that in Puerto Rico the old principle that “there are no taxes without representation” is broken, which was key at the time of the independence of the United States. Most federal taxes are paid there, but there is no real interference in the decisions made in Washington DC: neither in Congress nor in the White House. Likewise, if a Puerto Rican or Puerto Rican settles in one of the 50 states of the country, they will be able to vote for national offices. Even if you leave the island you can also apply. A Puerto Rican president of the United States? It is viable with current laws, although you should not live in your place of origin but rather have been in one of the states where there are full rights for several years. Thus, we can reach the paradox of a person who was born in a place where you cannot vote for office. At the same time, the case could happen that the Puerto Ricans define the head of government. The fact is that the political parties of the United States do hold their primary elections on the island. In this way, the case could happen that one candidate prevails internally over another thanks to the votes contributed in Puerto Rico. And then, with the support he obtains in all 50 states, he proclaims himself president. There is another case in which we can consider that Puerto Ricans are part of the conflict. The thing is that although there are no voting centers in their place of origin, they will have the right to vote if they move to one of the 50 states. And this has happened a lot in recent years, since millions of Puerto Ricans have left the island during this century. So much so that the country's population peak occurred in 2004, with 3.8 million inhabitants, above the current 3.2. This can be compared to what happens in the north: there are 1.8 million people who were born in Puerto Rico who live in the United States. Hurricane Maria in 2017 caused enormous damage and problems on the island, which led to the exodus. However, there were problems before and many Puerto Ricans decided to use the power of their passports to seek job opportunities in the United States. At the beginning of this century, the US Congress eliminated the tax incentives that Puerto Rico had to attract investments, which had a harmful effect on the island's economy. This was followed by a crisis linked to the enormous public debt that had accumulated. To stop the problems, the federal government imposed austerity measures to apply on the island. Yes: in 2016, a supervisory body was created in Washington DC with broad powers over Puerto Rico's economy. This finally clarified a situation that for many was quite evident: more than a commonwealth, the island is a colony. There is an unequal power relationship and, although those born there are considered American citizens, they do not enjoy the same rights as the rest. To make matters worse, six referendums have been held regarding the political status of the island, although none of them were binding. Although they have varied depending on the occasion, in general the options were three: independence, continuing as before or becoming another state of the United States. There were different results in the plebiscites, although some political parties have boycotted participation because they were not binding. For example, in 2017, 97% of the votes were in favor of being another state in the union, although only 23% of the inhabitants voted. The current governor of the island called for a new consultation for November 5, 2024, the same day as the country's presidential elections. There will also be three options available. The first is independence: this implies cutting ties with Washington, being able to enter international organizations, sign treaties and have full responsibility for fiscal or migration issues, for example. That is, complete sovereignty. The second option is the opposite: being just another state. In this case, Puerto Ricans would become citizens with the same rights and obligations than those of the rest of the country. The constitution would apply in the same way in Puerto Rico as in Kansas. The last time this happened was more than half a century ago: in 1959 Alaska and Hawaii were added as states. The third is somewhat more complex to explain: it is about sovereignty in free association with the United States. Puerto Rico would be a sovereign nation with its own constitution and, after a few years, those born there would no longer be American citizens. However, an agreement would be made with the central government on the terms of the agreement in matters of trade or international relations, for example. As you can see, it is not exactly a status quo, and in fact none of the three options plans to continue as before. Because, although it may have some benefits, it seems unsustainable to continue with the current scheme, more typical of the last century. Likewise, as long as the North American Congress does not enable a binding consultation, this type of referendum will at most allow the opinion of residents to be known, but they will not have concrete and immediate effects. As long as this situation continues, we will be able to continue seeing some somewhat curious stories. Sports usually offer many of these types. Puerto Ricans have their own teams, and very good ones, in baseball and basketball. In fact, in baseball they competed in two world finals, in 2013 and 2017. And in basketball they achieved an unforgettable milestone: in Athens 2004 they were the first team to defeat a United States team made up of NBA players in the Olympic Games. Not only that: they beat them by 19 points, the largest difference suffered in this competition. To this day, it was the only time in which the North Americans, with players from the best league in the world, did not manage to get to the top of the podium. What would have happened if Puerto Ricans played for the United States? It is counterfactual and impossible to know. But maybe, in a few years, that can happen. Finally, we would like to know your opinion: do you think Puerto Rico will continue as it is today for a long time to come or will its status change? Leave us your comment below. Don't forget to go to the description, where we leave the links for you to try Elsa Speak. Until next time.