The reaction of the Governor and the political leadership during the long weekend to the Holy Thursday letter of the Federal Justice Department on the plebiscite has focused on the requirement of that dependency to include the current status in the consultation. But the letter would involve changes in the definition of the formulas as well.

The position of Federal Justice that probably brings more impact on the evaluation of voters will probably be that of citizenship.

And is that the letter of the Subsecretary of Justice, Dana J. Boente, removes the option of Statehoodasthe only one that represents and guarantees American citizenship of Puerto Ricans.

The current definition of statehood on the ballot includes that ‘I am aware that statehood is the only option that guarantees American citizenship by birth in Puerto Rico.’

For Justice, the statement is ‘imprecise’ and ‘misleading’ because, ‘under current legislation, Puerto Ricans have an unconditional statutory right to citizenship by birth.’ They added that the problems of that phrase also arise when considering the exclusion of the current status as it would also guarantee citizenship.

Citizenship was also an element in discussing the option of ‘Free Association / Independence’.

On the ballot, the Free Association option includes the language that ‘[b] eclassed this option American citizenship would be subject to negotiation with the United States Government,’ but in the Independence option there is no reference to US citizenship Although an affirmation of ‘Puerto Rican citizenship’.

Without even recognizing the language of ‘Puerto Rican citizenship’, FederalJusticeobjects to the negotiation of citizenship because ‘voters could misunderstand’ that this option is a type of ‘Enhanced’ Associated Partnership State, which is sharply rejected by the Federal Government. ‘[T] he reality is that both options would result in complete and unequivocal independence and both would require an evaluation of a number of issues related to citizenship,’ says Boente.

In order for the definitions to meet the Federal Justice criteria for citizenship, then, on the ballot, Statehood and Commonwealth would be two options that preserve US citizenship and a ‘Free Association / Independence’ that can promise nothing by the way To US citizenship, not even that they are going to negotiate it.