Government Structure
Cuba is a totalitarian state controlled by
President Fidel Castro, who is Chief of State, Head of Government, First
Secretary of the Communist Party (PCC), and commander in chief of the armed
forces. Castro exercises control over all aspects of Cuban life through the
Communist Party and its affiliated mass organizations, the government
bureaucracy, and the state security apparatus. The Ministry of Interior is
the principal organ of state security and control. In addition to the
routine law enforcement functions of regulating migration, controlling the
Border Guard and the regular police forces, the Ministry's Department of
State Security investigates and actively suppresses organized opposition and
dissent.
From January 1959 until December 1976, Castro ruled by decree. The 1976
constitution, extensively revised in 1992, enshrines the PCC as "the highest
leading force of the society and state." In addition to Fidel Castro and his
brother Raul Castro, the center of party power is the 24-member Politburo.
There are 149 members in the Central Committee.
Executive and administrative power is vested in the Council of State and the
subordinate Council of Ministers, over which Fidel Castro presides,
supported by six vice presidents. Legislative authority rests with the
National Assembly of People's Power, which meets annually for about five
days, and is state-controlled. When not in session, the Assembly is
represented by the Council of State. Fidel Castro is president of the
Council of State, and his brother, Raul Castro, is first vice president,
which places him first in the line of succession. Raul Castro is also the
Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The Communist Party is constitutionally recognized as Cuba's only legal
political party. The party's Politburo and Central Committee together
include most of the country's military and civilian leaders. The party
monopolizes all government positions, including judicial offices. Though not
a formal requirement, party membership is a de facto prerequisite for
high-level official positions and professional advancement in most areas,
although non-party members are sometimes allowed to serve in the National
Assembly.
In 1992, the National Assembly amended the 1976 constitution, abolishing
references to the former Soviet bloc, outlawing discrimination for religious
beliefs, permitting foreign investment, giving Fidel Castro new emergency
powers, and allowing direct elections to the National Assembly of candidates
approved by "mass organizations" controlled by the Communist Party.
Although the constitution grants limited rights of assembly and association,
these rights are subject to the requirement that they may not be "exercised
against … the existence and objectives of the socialist State." The
government denies citizens the freedom of association. The Penal Code
specifically outlaws "illegal or unrecognized groups." Cubans do not have
the right to change their government, to freedom of expression, or freedom
to travel to and from Cuba without restriction. The government and party
control all electronic and print media. Since 1992, the Cuban Government has
eased the harsher aspects of its repression of religious freedom. In
preparation for the visit of Pope John Paul II in January 1998, the
government further relaxed its restrictions on religion, especially toward
the Roman Catholic Church.
Although the constitution theoretically provides for independent courts, it
explicitly subordinates them to the National Assembly and to the Council of
State. The People's Supreme Court is the highest judicial body. Due process
is routinely denied to Cuban citizens, especially in cases involving
political offenses. The constitution states that all legally recognized
civil liberties can be denied to anyone who opposes the "decision of the
Cuban people to build socialism."
The Cuban Government's human rights record is abysmal. It systematically
violates fundamental civil and political rights of its citizens. The
government uses incessant harassment in the form of detention, threat of
long-term imprisonment, exile, physical injury, and search and seizure of
private property to intimidate pro-democracy and human rights activists.
There are hundreds of political prisoners. Since 1994, when it invited the
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit, the Cuban Government has
refused permission for international human rights monitors, including the UN
Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, to visit Cuba.
National Security
Under Castro, Cuba became a highly militarized society. From 1975 until the
late 1980s, massive Soviet military assistance enabled Cuba to upgrade its
military capabilities and project power abroad. The tonnage of Soviet
military deliveries to Cuba throughout most of the 1980s exceeded deliveries
in any year since the military build-up during the 1962 missile crisis. In
1990, Cuba's air force, with about 150 Soviet-supplied fighters, including
advanced MiG-23 Floggers and MiG-29 Fulcrums, was probably the best equipped
in Latin America. In 1994, Cuba's armed forces were estimated to have
235,000 active duty personnel.
Cuban military power has been sharply reduced by the loss of Soviet
subsidies. Lack of fuel has resulted in reduced training and military
exercises. Lack of spare parts and new material has resulted in the
mothballing of planes, tanks, and other military equipment. Today, the
Revolutionary Armed Forces number about 60,000 regular troops. The country's
two paramilitary organizations, the Territorial Militia Troops and the Youth
Labor Army, have a reduced training capability. Cuba also adopted a "war of
the people" strategy that highlights the defensive nature of its
capabilities. The government has, however, maintained a large state security
apparatus, under the Ministry of Interior, to repress dissent within Cuba. |
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