Hearings on the status bill begin this week in Chamber | Government

Representatives of the People’s Democratic Party in the House, Jose “Connie” Varela, Cape Maldonado and Jose “Chito Rivera” announced the start of public hearings on House Bill No. 5 to convene a constitutional assembly to establish Tuesday, March 16th. The hearings will begin under the auspices of the Federal Affairs Commission headed by Maldonado.

“Next Tuesday, Comrade Cape Maldonado begins the public hearings for P of C # 5 … What this House of Representatives wants to inform the country is that we are ready to reach a final solution to the percentile position problem,” he said.

For Representative Maldonado, it is “clear” that the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico raises a “problem of lack of democracy” that must be addressed.

“We have the historic responsibility to promote a procedural mechanism that ensures a fair space for all parties involved in the search for a solution to the problem of the centenary of the situation. [político]Said Maldonado.

“We affirm that the appropriate procedural mechanism to solve the situation problem and reach a consensus is the Constitutional Status Assembly because it is the tool that ensures the participation of all actors in the discussion of Puerto Rico’s situation and provides a fair space. In the search for a democratic and just solution to this problem,” added Maldonado.

The legislator indicated that the debate on the political situation of Puerto Rico is taking place in parallel in both the island and the federal capital, and mentioned the bill that was close to being submitted by Congressmen Nidia Velasquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Curtis, and that it would promote the practice of self-determination for Puerto Rico.

“This project, prepared by Congressmen Vásquez and Ocasio-Cortez, seeks to promote, through the Assembly of Constitutional Status, so that the people of Puerto Rico can choose between formulas of state, free association, independence, and any other form of decolonization that is not subject to public authorities,” said Varela, who seems to have left The door is open for the current Commonwealth (ELA) status outside the territorial provision, or known “enhanced ELA”, “under the territorial clause”.

When asked about the recurring nature of the ongoing status referendums and the void effects of these referendums on progress towards resolving Puerto Rico’s political situation dilemma, Varela assured that Velácís Ocasio’s project would have more support than the annexation project he presented. Resident Commissioner Jennifer Gonzalez and Democratic Congressman Darren Soto, so an initiative such as the Association for Constitutional Status is consistent with the said federal bill.

“The circumstances … and I am sure that if we open the space here to all factions, all ideologies, all political parties and civil society, we will be successful,” Varela said, referring to the possibility of achieving compliance. The nature of the consultancy.

Regarding the possibility that these consultations could be seen as an attempt to reverse the results of the country’s “yes or no” referendum in the last elections, Maldonado said he did not believe that “removing the results from the past is an alternative.”

“What we want is a mechanism that has been approved by Congress … and Congress has not approved any of these other exercises. What we were talking about is that there will be a link between this project and another project that will be presented at the end,” Maldonado said.