In an essay in Caribbean Business, Pineiro says recent referendums have been non-binding and a waste of money. "Past results in status referendums have been closely split, with low participation rates and thousands of blank ballots as a form of dissent. Simply put, these results do not represent the absolute majority of Puerto Rican voters and have further discouraged any congressional support for a binding referendum."
He says, "A constitutional assembly is the only consensus-building alternative locally, as it counts on the support of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana, Proyecto Dignidad and Popular Democratic Party (or 67 percent of voters in the 2020 elections). Such consensus would provide avenues for coalition-building and broader engagement from Puerto Ricans to support the constitutional status assembly’s success."
The full essay can be seen here.