National System of Elections
A point that must first be emphasized here is the importance of a
Constitution that provides voting rights. In the United States, as in the
majority of other democratic nations, the right to vote is the most revered
and honored of rights. It is the most important arm that gives the citizenry
that right to interfere with, remove, or elect their governors.
Precisely, in the "Universal declaration of Human Rights", announced and
approved by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, in which Cuba
participated, resulted in the following: Article 21: (1) All persons have
the right to participate in their country's government, either directly or
by means of representation elected freely.
(2) All persons have the right for equal access to the public functions of
their country. (3) The will of the people is the base of the authority of
public power, this will is expressed by means of authentic elections that
should be celebrated periodically, by universal and equal vote, by secret
vote or equivalent procedure that guarantee the liberty of the vote.
Due to the importance of this universal democracy that consecrates this
right, Cuba, of course can not stop alluding in its charter, of which they
shamelessly state that it is the most just and democratic country in the
world. Due to this, we remit Article 71 of said Constitution in which we
will offer its text and subsequently analyze its force in the Cuban society
of today. The Article states: "The National Assembly of the Popular Power,
(most maximum legislature body of the nation and of which we will touch on
later) is composed of representatives elected by the free, direct and secret
vote of the electors, in the proportion and according to the procedure that
determines the law."
The Cuba of today is divided into fourteen provinces and a special
municipality according to the last Political-Administrative Division of
1976. Each one of these provinces is subdivided into municipalities and
zones. So-called Popular Counsels or candidates of the National, Provincial,
and Municipal Assemblies of the Popular Power run the zones. In the prior
election process, a citizen was shown a list of persons selected by their
zone of residence and as candidates to the Municipal Assemblies of the
Popular Power. Of course, communist campaigners situated in each of the
zones had carefully carried out said selections. We can deduce that the
individuals selected are those that are fully identified with the socialist
state and the political position of Fidel Castro their most maximum leader.
In other words, no dissident politician or person with different views of
the existing government will ever be part of that list.
Thus, once a common citizen confronts privately his or her electoral ticket
and reads the relation of the nominated candidates with the Municipal
Assembly, he or she is conscious that there will never be any change in the
present or future situation.
In Article 74 of the Constitution, it states: "The National Assembly of the
Popular Power elects among its Representatives the Counsel of State,
integrated by one President, a first Vice-President, five Vice-Presidents, a
Secretary and twenty-three additional members. The President of the Counsel
of State is the Leader of State and Chief of Government." However since the
Counsel of State has already been elected since the inception of the
Constitution, including Mr. Fidel Castro as the first President, it has only
been possible to re-elect the same bodies time and time again even by a
different mean of election: by the public vote in the National Assembly.
However, this vote is not in private and as mentioned before it takes place
by those persons that are endorsed as devoted communists and adhere fully to
Fidel. Further, before these candidates are registered they must go through
a subsequent selection process. My question is: can these actions be called
elections that are direct, private and democratic such as those found in the
civilized nations of today? You have the last answer! |
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