Some people like to say there are no elections in Cuba. Ignoring the fact that there just are. Regular elections and often. With a much, much better turnout than most countries, including the UK and the USA. There are no political parties, no advertising, no balloons, no kissing babies. You don't have to be either super rich or backed by big money to get elected. When you look at the parachuted-in politicos here, the safe seats and rotten boroughs, the house of lords (in the context of Truss and Johnson's forthcoming list of new lords and ladies) - tell me which system is more 'democractic'. First here is an explainer by Reuters about how the Cuban system works:- HAVANA, March 22 (Reuters) - Cubans head to the polls Sunday to vote for the 470 lawmakers who will represent them for the next five years in the country's National Assembly. The legislative elections are the first since Cubans overwhelmingly approved a new constitution in 2019 and set the stage for a subsequent vote, by the National Assembly, to determine who would be the country's president. Here is how it works and why it matters: WHAT ARE CUBANS VOTING FOR ON SUNDAY? Voters receive a ballot at their respective voting station that lists the candidates for the National Assembly in their district. There are no opposition candidates. A voter may vote "For All" of the candidates on their ballot, for several, or for only one. Citizens may also choose to abstain from voting, or invalidate their votes. Those candidates elected Sunday will serve for five years and do not receive a salary. WHO DETERMINES WHICH CANDIDATES APPEAR ON SUNDAY'S BALLOT? In Cuba, candidates for the National Assembly are selected by commissions composed of members from groups representing various sectors - including workers, university students, and small farmers. Criteria for selection include merit, moral authority, popular acceptance and "adequate social participation." As many as half the candidates may be representatives elected in November to municipal assemblies. Prospective candidates chosen by the commissions are confirmed by a majority show of hands by the local municipal assemblies before they advance to the ballot. There are 470 candidates vying for 470 open seats. WAIT. IF THERE ARE 470 CANDIDATES FOR 470 OPEN SEATS, IS A VOTE EVEN NECESSARY? Cuban law requires a winning candidate receive "more than half the number of valid votes emitted in the municipality or electoral district." If a candidate does not reach that threshold in Sunday's vote, Cuba's "Council of State," the legislative leadership, may opt to leave the seat vacant, defer to the municipal assembly to select an alternate representative, or hold new elections. Lawmakers may serve up to two terms. WHAT IS AT STAKE HERE? The fresh crop of lawmakers will confront a Cuba in crisis. A sputtering economy has led to shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and electricity, contributing to protests in July of 2021 believed to be the largest since former leader Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Sunday's election will be closely watched for its rate of abstention, which has been rising in recent votes, alongside social unrest. Lawmakers will convene within 45 days of Sunday's election and vote for the president of the Republic of Cuba, selected from among their ranks, as well as legislative leadership. Incumbent President Miguel Diaz-Canel is widely expected to be re-elected by lawmakers. IS CUBA'S SYSTEM DEMOCRATIC? Cuba's elections are criticized by some outside observers as lacking in transparency or credible opposition and for being beholden to the Communist Party, which is labeled by Cuba's 2019 Constitution as "the driving political force of society and the state." Cuba defends its single-party system, saying it promotes unity. By outlawing political campaigns, it says it has eliminated the corrupting influence of money in politics. Cuba also says its system for selecting candidates is more inclusive than elsewhere. More than half its candidates are women, and 45% are Black.
Ballot boxes are guarded by school children. This was one of Fidel's ideas. To defend the purity of the elections. Over 170,000 school children will be working on Sunday on this vital duty for their country. When you put your ballot paper into the box, they salute you and say "Votó!" - "he/she voted!" Children are also given the job of delivering ballot papers to, and collecting from, those who can't attend the vote in person because of ill health or other reasons.
Another big difference from the UK is the candidates. Of those standing; 55% are women, 45% are black or mulatto, 95% are university graduates and 20% are young people between 18 and 35 years of age. Let's meet some of the candidates:- After talking about youth, maybe ironic I'm starting with a 95 year old! Comandante GUILLERMO GARCÍA FRÍAS He is a hero of the motherland. He organized a whole network of campesino 'peasants' to help Fidel and the Granma expedition and lead them to the Sierra Maestra mountains; Thanks to the intuition and sagacity of this 28-year-old peasant, who barely knew how to read and write, the seed of the insurrection was preserved. He was the first peasant incorporated into the Rebel Army after the landing. When the Revolution triumphed, he held the rank of Comandante. He held several positions, among them: the first chief of the Western Army, vice president of the Council of State and Ministers, and Minister of Transportation. He was a member of the first Central Committee of the PCC. He is a Comandante of the Revolution and Hero of the Republic of Cuba. He is still working as the Director of the National Flora and Fauna Company.
A candidate that some of you may have heard of before is Elián González Brotons. You might remember the scandal in Clinton's time - around the year 2000. When he was only five years old, Elian's mother took him on a small boat to try to go to the USA. The boat sank and tragically all those on board drowned - ten people - all with the exception of Elian. He was found by some people out in a boat, clinging to some wreckage. It was a miracle survival. They took him to Miami and some crazy uncles and cousins tried to claim him. They showered him with money and expensive gifts and tried everything to get him to turn against the revolution. Meanwhile, his father and his grandparents, back in Cuba had known nothing about this boat trip the mother had organised. The father demanded custody of his boy - like it says in international law. The mad uncles and aunties and cousins in Miami didn't want to send him back. Not for nothing. They said he would be getting sent back to a hellhole. A fate worse than death that his mother had died trying to escape. Well in the end, Clinton realised they had to abide by the law, otherwise it would set a precedent worldwide for one parent kidnapping children. So he got sent back home to his dad.
Also standing is Idalys Ortíz Bocourt; She represented Cuba at judo at the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics and won a medal every time. Bronze, Gold, Silver and Silver. Her Gold was at the London Olympics.
Also from the world of sport, there is Omara Durand Elías a visually impaired sprinter. At the London Olympics in 2012, she won gold medals in the 100 m – T13 and 400 m – T13 competitions. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics she won the 100 m – T12 event, setting a new world record at 11.40. At the 2020 Paralympics, she won a gold in the Women's 400m T12 event.
There's Marta Ayala, the director of Cuba's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Centre, where the successful 'Abdala' Covid vaccine was produced
A brilliant set of posts. Interesting and informative. I knew nothing about Cuban politics other than Cuba was "Communist". Personally it seems to me that communist does not well describe it whatever the "ruling" party is called as it seems to be more of people politics if there were such a term
Looking like just over 70% turnout... From a basic part of 8,120,072 voters, 5 million 711,397 had voted up to 5:00 p.m., which represents 70.34 percent”, indicated the president of the CEN, Alina Balseiro, when offering an initial closing of the attendance at the polls. The official pointed out that these results are 1.71 percent higher than those achieved in the referendum on the Family Code, held in September last year, and 6.49 percent higher than in the previous municipal elections, last November.
HAVANA, March 27 (Reuters) - Cuba said on Monday that voters over the weekend had elected all 470 candidates for the National Assembly, in elections in which there were no opposition candidates. Election officials said Monday that the initial turnout was 75.92%, topping participation in municipal elections in November and a referendum on the Cuban family code, which legalized gay marriage, in September. "We want to thank our people...for participating in a massive way in this electoral process of transcendental importance for the present and the future of the nation," Alina Balseiro, president of Cuba´s National Electoral Council, said on state-run TV. Balseiro said 72% of voters had chosen an option on ballots that allowed them to vote for all the candidates in one go, meaning that the 470 contenders were all elected. Officials said just over 90% of votes cast had been deemed valid, with 6.2% left blank and 3.5% annulled.
CNN Cárdenas, Cuba CNN — More than two decades after he was found clinging to an inner tube in the Straits of Florida, Elián González is taking on his most high profile role since the bitter custody battle that returned him to Cuba. On Monday, Cuba’s National Election Council said that the 470 candidates for the island’s National Assembly – González included—were approved by voters. More than 89% of voters in González’s hometown of Cárdenas voted for him, according to officials. “I am someone the American people know and I can help bring the American and Cuban people together and not just the people,” a now-bearded González, 29, told CNN. "That our governments reach an understanding and remove all the barriers between us. Our country doesn’t have any sanctions on the United States.”
"Wow", I thought, "This thread has got an awful lot of replies! Maybe wfcforums.com is a lot more internationalist than I thought!"
