Cuban elections: between the right and the duty

Without large amounts of money at stake, conflicts between political parties of different tendencies or smear campaigns in favor of one candidate or another, this February 3 Cuba will hold the general elections, to elected Members of Parliament and delegates to the Provincial Assemblies of People's Power, the second phase of the Cuban electoral process. This general elections started, in the first stage, with meetings to nominate candidates for delegates and the subsequent election of those who represent the people in the municipal assemblies, as district delegates. The Cuban electoral law stipulates that in the country there are two types of electoral processes. Every five years general elections are held, where people elect deputies to the National Assembly of People's Power, while every two and a half years partial elections are held to select delegates to the municipal assemblies of People's Power. The proposals coming out of the base, along with a nomination process carried out by the mass organizations, make up the core of the delegates to the provincial assemblies and deputies to Parliament. According to data released by the National Electoral Commission (CEN), since 1976, all elections held in Cuba have involved more than 95 percent of those registered, which shows that in our country the elections are characterized by active and massive participation of the people and transparency throughout the process. LAST STEPS For several days, the members of the polling stations and other authorities in charge of the general elections have been working in the preparation of the same. According to Caridad Alvarez, member of the CEN, the next elections are different from those held in late 2012 to elect the 14,537 delegates to the municipal assemblies of People's Power, so it requires a better preparation. "This time we have two ballots instead of one, to exercise a free, equal and secret vote and choose separately the 612 members of Parliament and the 1, 269 delegates to the provincial assemblies," she said. A few days after the general elections to be held on Sunday in Cuba, the electoral commissions and municipal offices of the Identity Card and Voter Registration checked the Register of Electors, in order to verify the correct update regarding the elections. Electoral authorities in the island have been carrying out several actions to allow voters to know the candidates to deputies better, such as the exibition of photos and biographies of them in public places and meetings held in various areas throughout the country. Lieutenant Colonel Julio Torres García, member of the CEN, said that about 26,000 young Cubans will be voting for the first time for their representatives in the Parliament and the 15 Provincial Assemblies of People's Power. In Cuba everyone older than 16 can exercise their right to vote. Current legislation only sets with inability to suffrage those judicially sanctioned and people with mental problems that prevent them from exercising that right. The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, once said: "Democracy means to me that governments, first, are closely linked with the people, emerge from the people, with the support of the people, and devote themselves entirely to work and fight for the people and for the people's interests. " It is then for every Cuban an enormous responsibility to attend to this important moment for our democracy and elect those who they consider that will best represent them. With information from Cubasí.cu