Puerto Rico governor to take statehood case to Washington but faces US snub

Ricard Rossello to push Congress to admit Puerto Rico as America's 51st state, but experts suggest referendum result will have little impact on US lawmakers

The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricard Rossello, has announced that he is to visit Washington in the next phase of his campaign to turn the island into the 51st state of the United States.

Rossello will go to the US capital armed with a 97% backing for statehood from voters in Sunday's plebiscite on the future of the stricken US colony. But he faces an uphill struggle impressing his case on the US Congress, which holds ultimate power over Puerto Rico, given the historically low turnout of the vote and the boycott staged by opposition parties.

Related: Puerto Ricans vote in favour of being 51st US state, but doubts remain