Puerto Rico voted yesterday to become the 51st stateBarack Obama said he would honor their vote.

Almost 80% of the island’s electorate took part in the referendum, the fourth in the past 45 years.

With almost all the votes counted, almost 54% voted to change the island’s relationship with the US.   And in reply to a second question on what future they favored, nearly two-thirds wanted full statehood…

…A young voter in the capital San Juan, Jerome Lefebre, said: “Puerto Rico has to be a state. There is no other option.

“We’re doing okay, but we could do better. We would receive more benefits, a lot more financial help.”

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