Development: On 19 August, Puerto Rican voters rejected, via referendum, constitutional reforms to reduce the size of the legislature and limit some defendants’ right to bail.
Significance: The result was a surprise; polls prior to the vote showed broad support for the reforms, which were aimed at improving the efficiency of the local bi-cameral legislature and addressing a crime wave in the US territory. The referendum was also significant in that it did not fall along traditional political divisions; both reform proposals were backed by Puerto Rico's two dominant political parties – Governor Luis Fortuño’s Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP), favours pursuing US statehood, and the Partido Popular Democrático (PPD), which supports the status quo.
Key points:
• According to the state electoral commission (CEE), with 99.7% of the tally in, 443,369 (55.03%) voted against ending the absolute right to bail, while 362,262 (44.97%) voted in favour. On the proposal to reduce the legislature (from 78 legislators to 56), 436,245 (54.22%) voted “no”, while 368,389 (45.78%) voted yes. Participation was 35.34%.
• The proposed amendment to bail terms would have permitted judges to deny bail for charges including premeditated murder, homicides committed during domestic burglaries, sexual assaults and kidnappings. Police complain that the lack of such a provision hampers efforts to prosecute murderers, as witnesses feel threatened knowing that suspects are out on bail.
• Violent crime, much of it related to increasing drug trafficking, is becoming a problem for Fortuño. A record 1,136 murders were registered last year (up from 983 in 2010). The PPD leader, Alejandro García Padilla, last month urged Fortuño to declare a state of emergency.
• Fortuño and García are preparing to face-off in gubernatorial elections on 6 November. In a parallel referendum, the electorate will also vote on Puerto Rico’s political status. First citizens will be asked whether they want the current territorial status to continue. Regardless of how they answer that question, they will then be asked, in a second question, to choose between three different options: US statehood, independence, or a sovereign free association (essentially the status quo).
