| Cuba |
 This article is part of the series: |
Institutions
People and organizations Democracy and human rights
Foreign relations |
Other countries · Atlas Politics Portal |
Since Cuba became a one-party republic and the Communist party became the official political party, Cuba has been both condemned and praised by certain Cuban groups, international groups, and foreign governments regarding democracy. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Politics of Cuba take place within a framework of a socialist republic. Since attaining its independence from Spain, Cuba has had five Constitutions The current constitution was drafted in 1976 and has since been amended The National Assembly of People’s Power (Spanish Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) is the Legislative Parliament of the Republic of Cuba The Council of State (Consejo de Estado of Cuba is a 31 member body of the government of Cuba elected by the National Assembly of People’s Power. The Council of Ministers is the highest ranking executive and administrative body and constitutes the government of the Republic of Cuba. The People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular is the highest body of judicial power in Cuba. Administratively, Cuba is divided into fourteen provinces and one special Municipality. The provinces of Cuba are divided into 169 municipalities or municipios. Committees for the Defense of the Revolution ( Comités de Defensa de la Revolución) or CDR, is a network of Committees across Cuba. The President of Cuba (formally President of the Council of State of Cuba) is the Head of state of Cuba. Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz (born June 3 1931 is the President of the Cuban Council of State and the Head of state of Cuba. __FORCETOC__ For the Vice President of the United States, their roles and other information see Vice President of the United States. José Ramón Machado Ventura MD (born 26 October 1930) is the First Vice-President of the Council of State in Cuba. __FORCETOC__ For the Vice President of the United States, their roles and other information see Vice President of the United States. Juan Almeida Bosque (born February 17, 1927 in Havana, Cuba) is the third ranking member of the Cuban Council of State and one Abelardo Colomé Ibarra (born 13 September, 1939) is a Vice President of the Council of State of Cuba. Carlos Lage Dávila (born October 15 1951) is a Cuban politician Prime Minister of Cuba was a position in the government of Cuba Political parties in Cuba lists political parties in this country The Communist Party of Cuba ( Spanish: Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC is currently the governing political party in Cuba. The opposition to Fidel Castro ' s Marxist Government is largely unofficial and illegal within Cuba itself See also Guantanamo Bay detention camp Human rights in Cuba are a subject of much debate Cuba 's once-ambitious foreign policy has been scaled back and redirected as a result of economic hardship after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Cuba and the United States of America have had an interest in one another since well before either of their independence movements Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The Communist Party of Cuba ( Spanish: Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC is currently the governing political party in Cuba. Political parties in Cuba lists political parties in this country The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The opposition to Fidel Castro ' s Marxist Government is largely unofficial and illegal within Cuba itself Although the media is controlled by the state, the Cuban government contends that the Cuban political system is democratic. The nature of the political participation in Cuba has fostered discussion amongst political writers and philosophers. Varied conclusions have been drawn, some of these have led to Cuba being described as a dictatorship, grassroots democracy, a Soviet democracy or a revolutionary democracy [1], but not a liberal democracy. Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes where as much decision-making authority as practical is shifted to the organization's lowest geographic For the Soviet republics of the Soviet Union see Republics of the Soviet Union. The term "liberal" in "liberal democracy" does not imply that the government of such a democracy must follow the political ideology of [2]
Electoral system
According to the constitution, Cuba is a socialist republic where all members or representative bodies of state power are elected and subject to recall and the masses control the activity of the state agencies, the deputies, delegates and officials. The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any Cuba has only one legal political party, the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), whose leader, Fidel Castro, has been in power, first as Prime Minister and then as President, since 1959. The Communist Party of Cuba ( Spanish: Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC is currently the governing political party in Cuba. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13 1926 is a Cuban revolutionary leader who was prime minister of Cuba from December 1959 to December 1976 and then president until Castro's brother Raúl Castro was officially designated Fidel's successor at a Communist Party congress in October 1997. Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz (born June 3 1931 is the President of the Cuban Council of State and the Head of state of Cuba. [3] Fidel Castro officially retired on February 19, 2008, leaving his brother as the sole candidate for president. [4]
Elections in Cuba have two phases: (1) election of delegates to the Municipal Assembly, and (2) election of deputies to the Provincial and National Assemblies. Candidates for both assemblies are nominated on an individual basis and no political parties are permitted to campaign. All elections take place by secret ballot. Suffrage is afforded to Cuban citizens resident for two years on the island who are aged over sixteen years and who have not been found guilty of a criminal offence. Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally
Next to the Communist Party of Cuba, various political parties are illegally active in the country. The Communist Party of Cuba ( Spanish: Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC is currently the governing political party in Cuba. The most important of these are the Christian Democratic Party of Cuba, the Cuban Socialist Democratic Current, the Democratic Social-Revolutionary Party of Cuba, the Democratic Solidarity Party, the Liberal Party of Cuba and the Social Democratic Co-ordination of Cuba. The Christian Democratic Party of Cuba ( Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Cuba) is a Christian Democratic political party in Cuba. The Democratic Social-Revolutionary Party of Cuba ( Partido Social-Revolucionario Democrático de Cuba) is a democratic socialist Political party in The Democratic Solidarity Party ( Partido Solidaridad Democrática) is a political liberal party in Cuba. The Liberal Party of Cuba ( Partido Liberal de Cuba) is an illegal liberal party in Cuba. The Social Democratic Co-ordination of Cuba ( Coordinadora Social Demócrata de Cuba) is an illegal Political party in Cuba.
Municipal elections
Municipal assemblies are elected every two and a half years. Municipal elections are officially non-partisan, but as with National Assembly elections, critics maintain that no candidate can express overt opposition to the Castro government or to the communist system. The last such elections were held on 21 October 2007. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Turnout was reported to be 8. 1 million voters, approximately 95% of the population, which is less than the last such election on April 17, 2005, where voter turnout was 97%. Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
National elections
| Members | Seats |
|---|---|
| 614 candidates (one candidate per seat). Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The National Assembly of People’s Power (Spanish Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) is the Legislative Parliament of the Republic of Cuba A parliamentary election to the National Assembly of People's Power was held in Cuba on 20 January 2008. Up to 50% of the candidates must be chosen by the Municipal Assemblies. The candidates are otherwise proposed by nominating assemblies, which comprise representatives of workers, youth, women, students and farmers as well as members of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, after initial mass meetings soliciting a first list of names. Committees for the Defense of the Revolution ( Comités de Defensa de la Revolución) or CDR, is a network of Committees across Cuba. The final list of candidates is drawn up by the National Candidature Commission taking into account criteria such as candidates' merit, patriotism, ethical values and revolutionary history. [5] [6] | 614 |
| Total elected | 614 |
Cuba's national legislature, the National Assembly of People's Power, has 609 members who sit for five-year terms. The National Assembly of People’s Power (Spanish Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) is the Legislative Parliament of the Republic of Cuba Members of the National Assembly represent multiple-member constituencies (2 to 5 members per district), with one Deputy for each 20,000 inhabitants. The most recent elections to the National Assembly were held on 19 January 2003. Legislative elections were held for the National Assembly of People's Power, Cuba 's national legislature on 19 January 2003 Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
Although there is only one candidate per seat, candidates must obtain the support of 50% of voters to be elected. If a candidate fails to gain 50% of the vote, a new candidate must be chosen. So far this has never happened for the National Assembly, because the candidates put forward by the candidacy commissions usually get at least 84% support[1]
Candidates for the National Assembly are chosen by Candidacy Commissions chaired by local trade union officials and composed of elected representatives of "mass organisations" representing workers, youth, women, students and farmers. The Candidacy Commissions produce slates of recommended candidates for each electoral district. The final list of candidates, one for each district, is drawn up by the National Candidacy Commission, taking into account criteria such as candidates’ popularity, merit, patriotism, ethical values and “revolutionary history. ”[2]
According to the Cuban Ministry of External Affairs, at the October 2002 elections to these commissions which preceded the January 2003 National Assembly elections, "32,585 candidates were nominated for the 14,949 seats up for election in October 2002 at grassroots assemblies in which 81. 7% of the voters participated. " At least half of the National Assembly candidates selected must have been previously elected as delegates to these assemblies. [3]
Right of legislative proposals
Article #88(h) of the Cuban constitution, adopted in 1976, provides for citizen proposals of law, prerequisite that the proposal be made by at least 10 000 citizens who are eligible to vote. In 2002 supporters of a movement known as the Varela Project submitted a citizen proposal of law with 11,000 signatures calling for a national referendum on political and economic reforms. The Varela Project ( Proyecto Varela in Spanish is a project that was started in 1998 by Oswaldo Payá of the Christian Liberation Movement and named after
The Cuban National Assembly Constitution and Legal Affairs Committee tabled the Varela Project citizens' initiative and responded with a counter initiative, the petition for which collected 8. 1 million signatures, to request that Cuba's National Assembly amend the constitution to state "Socialism and the revolutionary political and social system. . . are irrevocable; and Cuba will never again return to capitalism. "[4] The National Assembly vote was preceded by a massive march. [5] Critics argue that the alleged signatures of 99. 5 percent of Cuba's eligible voters were collected by Castro's neighborhood watch committees, whose evaluations of each citizen's political behavior can make or break people's lives in a country where the government controls virtually all jobs. [7]
Comments by the Cuban Government
Fidel Castro has made many statements insisting that Cuba is a “democracy” or has democratic features. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13 1926 is a Cuban revolutionary leader who was prime minister of Cuba from December 1959 to December 1976 and then president until In 1960, Castro made a speech to the General Assembly referring to Cuba in relation to other Latin American nations, “We are speaking of democracy. If Government is of people and democratic, people can be consulted, as we are doing here. What is more an example of pure democracy than meetings such as this one. If they cannot call such meetings they are not democracies. ” Castro continued “Those who want to see people’s democracy let them come here and see this. We can speak to America and the world because we speak in names of a whole nation. ” Castro has also been critical of liberal democracies, describing them as a “Pretense of democracy”. [8]
In 2006, President of Cuba's National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada, stated: "At some moment, US rhetoric changed to talk of democracy . The National Assembly of People’s Power (Spanish Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) is the Legislative Parliament of the Republic of Cuba Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada (born May 21 1937 in Havana, Cuba) has been the President of the National Assembly (ANPP of Cuba . . For me, the starting point is the recognition that democracy should begin with Pericles's definition - that society is for the benefit of the majority - and should not be imposed from outside. Pericles (also spelled Perikles) (c 495 – 429 BC Greek:, meaning "surrounded by glory" was a prominent and influential Statesman, orator " [9]
Cuba justifies the existence of only one political party by arguing that the PCC “is not a political party in the traditional sense… it is not an electoral party; it does not decide on the formation or composition of the government. It is not only forbidden to nominate candidates but also to be involved in any other stage of the electoral process… The CPC’s role is one of guidance, supervision and of guarantor of participatory democracy. ”[6]
The Cuban government describe the full Cuban electoral process as a form of democracy. The Cuban Ministry of External Affairs describes the candidate-selection process as deriving from “direct nomination of candidates for delegates to the municipal assemblies by the voters themselves at public assemblies,” and points out that at the elections to the municipal assemblies, voters do have a choice of candidates. The ban on election campaigning is presented as “The absence of million–dollar election campaigns where resorting to insults, slander and manipulation are the norm. ”
Comments by the United States
- see also: Cuba-United States relations
U.S. State Department: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: "Candidates for provincial and national office must be approved in advance by mass organizations controlled by the government. Cuba and the United States of America have had an interest in one another since well before either of their independence movements In practice a small group of leaders, under the direction of the president, selected the members of the highest policy-making bodies of the CP, the Politburo, and the Central Committee. "
"In 2003 there were national elections in which 609 candidates were approved to compete for the 609 seats in the National Assembly. The CP was the only political party allowed to participate in the elections. A small minority of candidates did not belong formally to the CP but were chosen through the same government-controlled selection process. The government saturated the media and used government ministries, CP entities, and mass organizations to urge voters to cast a “unified vote” where marking one box automatically selected all candidates on the ballot form.
During the year there were elections for nearly 15 thousand local representatives to the municipal assemblies. After the first run-off election, the government reported that 96. 6 percent of the electorate had voted. While the law allows citizens not to vote, CDRs often pressured neighborhood residents to cast ballots. According to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights, the government blacklisted those who did not vote. Although not a formal requirement, in practice CP membership was a prerequisite for high-level official positions and professional advancement. "
Comments by the European Union
- See also: Foreign relations of Cuba
Since 1976, official European Union policy towards Cuba has stated an objective "to encourage a process of transition to a pluralist democracy via constructive engagement with the Cuban Government. Cuba 's once-ambitious foreign policy has been scaled back and redirected as a result of economic hardship after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in " This goal is shared by all member states. The E. U. describes the Cuban decision-making process thus: "Elections for the National Assembly, where only candidates approved by the local authorities can partake, take place every five years. When the National Assembly, which meets twice-yearly, is not in session the 31-member Council of State wields legislative power. The Council of Ministers, through its 9-member executive committee, exercises executive and administrative power. Although the Constitution provides for independent judiciary, it explicitly subordinates it to the National Assembly and to the Council of State. Involvement in decision-making and implementation through non-political actors has been institutionalised through national organisations, linked to the Communist Party, representing farmers, youth groups, students, women, industrial workers, etc. "
"Public political opposition in Cuba is not allowed, and political dissidents are pursued by the authorities. The human rights situation in the island continues to cause major havoc in its international relations. The EU has issued in the past demarches on concrete human rights issues in Cuba, e. g. death penalty, the trial of dissidents, the "acts of repudiations" against dissidents or families of political prisoners and so forth. Public political opposition in Cuba is not allowed, and political dissidents are pursued by the authorities. The Constitution and the Penal Code allow for severe sanctions against exercising freedom of expression if the activities of individuals are deemed to be "counter-revolutionary" or a "threat to national security. "[10]
Comments by the Organization of American States
Cuba has been suspended from the Organization of American States (OAS) since 1962. The Organization of American States ( OAS, or as it is known in the three other official languages OEA) is an International organization, headquartered The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an organ of the OAS, reported in 1997: “It should also be noted that the major criterion for preparing this report has been the lack of free elections in accordance with internationally accepted standards, thereby violating the right to political participation set forth in Article XX of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, which states textually that: Every person having legal capacity is entitled to participate in the government of his country, directly or through his representatives, and to take part in popular elections, which shall be by secret ballot, and shall be honest, periodic and free. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (the IACHR or in the three other official languages Spanish, French, and Portuguese CIDH ”[7]
"The nomination of candidates for election to the Municipal Assemblies is done by nominating assemblies, in which all voters are entitled to propose candidates. In practice, however, these district assemblies are usually organized by the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution or the Communist Party, which makes the selection of an opponent of the regime most unlikely. "[11]
Comments by non-governmental organizations
In 1999, the non-governmental organization Freedom House initiated “the Cuban Democracy Project” [12]. Freedom House is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Democracy, political The project was set up to support and encourage Cuban independent journalists, human rights activists, independent political parties, trade unions, and other organizations. Freedom House is solely responsible for the objectives and planning of the project and for its administration [13]. Freedom House has also given Cuba the lowest rating in its: “Freedom in the World 2005” report for political rights, and the lowest rating in its “electoral democracy” category.
The Freedom House 2005 report states: “Cubans cannot change their government through democratic means. Freedom House is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Democracy, political Fidel Castro dominates the political system, having transformed the country into a one-party state with the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) controlling all governmental entities from the national to the local level. Castro is responsible for every appointment and controls every lever of power in Cuba in his various roles as president of the Council of Ministers, chairman of the Council of State, commander in chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), and first secretary of the PCC. In October 2002, some eight million Cubans voted in tightly controlled municipal elections. On January 19, 2003, an election was held for the Cuban National Assembly, with just 609 candidates - all supported by the regime - vying for 609 seats. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. All political organizing outside the PCC is illegal. Political dissent, spoken or written, is a punishable offense, and those so punished frequently receive years of imprisonment for seemingly minor infractions. ” [14]
In 2002 former U. S. President Jimmy Carter spoke in Havana with support from Human Rights Watch and representing the Carter Center. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. The Carter Center is a nongovernmental not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U Whilst calling for democratic change, Carter also stressed that he was not using a U. S. definition of “democracy. ” he explained that “the term is embedded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Cuba signed in 1948. It is based on some simple premises: all citizens are born with the right to choose their own leaders, to define their own destiny, to speak freely, to organize political parties, trade unions and non-governmental groups, and to have fair and open trials. ”
The 2006 report from Human Rights Watch states: “Cuba remains a Latin American anomaly: an undemocratic government that represses nearly all forms of political dissent. Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. President Fidel Castro, now in his forty-seventh year in power, shows no willingness to consider even minor reforms. Instead, his government continues to enforce political conformity using criminal prosecutions, long- and short-term detentions, mob harassment, police warnings, surveillance, house arrests, travel restrictions, and politically-motivated dismissals from employment. The end result is that Cubans are systematically denied basic rights to free expression, association, assembly, privacy, movement, and due process of law. ” [15]
Human Rights Defenders in Cuba from Human Rights First states: “Cuba remains the only country in the Western Hemisphere to reject democracy and effectively outlaw peaceful advocacy for human rights and democratic reforms. Human Rights First is a New York City -based association formerly known as the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. Independent civil society in Cuba – including human rights defenders, democracy activists, and independent journalists and scholars – are the targets of constant persecution. The universally-recognized rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly are systematically violated by the State and victims have virtually no means of redress within the judicial system. ”
Cuba’s supporters argue that the Cuban system is more democratic than that used in multi-party democracies. The Cuba Solidarity Campaign, a group based in the United States, says: “Electoral candidates are not chosen by small committees of political parties… Instead the candidates are nominated individually by grass-roots organisations and by individual electors… The successful candidate is chosen by secret ballot. The Electoral Law of 1992 stipulates that delegates to the municipal and provincial assemblies and the 601 deputies to the National Assembly are all elected by popular suffrage using a secret ballot… Unlike the case in other states, which invariably criticize Cuba for being ‘undemocratic’, voter turn-out in Cuba is high. In April 2005, 97. 7% of electors came out to vote for their deputies to the municipal assemblies. ”[8]
Critics argue that whatever the merits of the system for electing the National Assembly, that body is itself a facade for the reality of PCC rule in Cuba. The Assembly meets only twice a year for a few days which is the basis of these beliefs. The 31-member Council of State, in theory elected by the Assembly but hypothetically in practice appointed by the PCC, wields effective state power, and the PCC Politburo is assumed to be the ultimate political authority. Politburo, short for Political Bureau, Russian Politicheskoye Buro, is the executive organization for a number of Political parties, most notably Although the Assembly has eight standing committees, they do not exercise any effective authority over legislation. During its biannual plenums, the Assembly is said to play a passive role as audience for various government speakers. Once the Council of State's legislative proposals have been presented, they are summarily ratified by unanimous or near unanimous vote of the Assembly. [9]
"Local elections candidates are nominated in open meetings run by the CDR (Committees to Defend the Revolution) that are closely linked to police and security forces. They report and sanction dissent. Prison terms of 4 years threaten those that openly oppose the regime in that public meeting filled with informants. People not supporting can be threatened with losing their home and jobs. "[16]
Comments by political figures
Many other notable political figures have commented on Cuba and democracy. At a conference held by the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba called “Towards democracy in Cuba”, former Czech leader Václav Havel stated, “democracy and prosperity in Cuba depend on the support for Cuban dissidents, the better the chances for a future peaceful transition of the Cuban society to democracy. The International Committee for Democracy in Cuba is a group based in Prague and headed by former Czech leader Václav Havel. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Václav Havel, GCB, CC, ( (born October 5, 1936) is a Czech Playwright Writer and Politician ”[17] Havel has also described Cuba as “the biggest prison on earth”. In 2006 Peruvian Presidential candidate and Bolivarian Ollanta Humala stated that “Obviously, according to our standards Cuba does not qualify as a democracy,” but added that Peru “is democratic, we have democratised poverty”[18]. The “Bolivarian Revolution” refers to a mass social movement and political process in Venezuela. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez responded to Havel’s comments in 2006, saying “What you have in Cuba is a very specific model of revolution. Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (ˈuɰo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβ̞es ˈfɾias (born July 28 1954 is the current President of Venezuela. In the grassroots in Cuba, there are constant elections that take place. Is it true that by electing a President or Prime Minister every five years you have democracy? Is it because you have press and TV channels that you have freedom of speech? There’s a lot of cynicism behind that. So many lies behind that. Every country has its own model. ”[19]
Comments by political writers and academics
Groups or individuals that describe Cuba as democratic or a “democracy” generally focus on community participation at local municipal level. For example, Cuban Teresita Jorge writes that democracy in Cuba “takes place from the grassroots up in the selection of those who will represent the people at all the levels of government“[20]. Similarly, Political scientists Haroldo Dilla Alfonso and Gerardo González Núñez study what they describe as Cuba’s “community power and grassroots democracy”. They write that “this participatory system contained an interesting combination of direct democracy and the use of representation as granted by election. In general, it attempted to provide citizens with the ability to choose the local leadership, express claims, oversee and evaluate local policy and its results, and become involved in projects of community benefit. ” The pair concluded that “we ought to consider Municipal Assemblies as a remarkable step forward in building democracy”. [21]
American political scientist Peter Roman’s work on the subject led him to believe that Cuba’s “grassroots democracy” goes beyond the power to vote freely for one of several candidates representing both pro or anti-socialist positions. Specifically, Cuban democracy includes the right to health, education, and housing. He concludes that at the “people level” democracy exists in Cuba today and that this democracy has been strengthened during the 1990s by conscious decisions made at the top. Roman also writes that the historical origins of contemporary Cuban democracy are the ideas of the centrality of unity and consensus, and the rejection of a distinction between political and civil society. Thus, unanimous votes in representative bodies do not represent, as critics charge, imposition by the PCC, but rather legitimate consensus worked out in lengthy discussion at several levels [22]. British political professor Steve Ludlum wrote in his paper “Participation is key to Cuba’s democracy” that “Two models of democracy competed for support in nineteenth century Europe. The one we know is based on indirect representation by professional politicians controlled by party factions. The other model, associated with Rousseau’s concept of the ‘general will’ and made famous by the Paris Commune of 1870”. Ludlum likens Cuba’s local participation to the latter model. [23]
However, critics argue that these local elections candidates are nominated in open meetings run by the CDR (Committees to Defend the Revolution) that are closely linked to police and security forces. They report and sanction dissent. Prison terms of 4 years threaten those that openly oppose the regime in that public meeting filled with informants. People not supporting can be threatened with losing their home and jobs. "[24] and "The nomination of candidates for election to the Municipal Assemblies is done by nominating assemblies, in which all voters are entitled to propose candidates. In practice, however, these district assemblies are usually organized by the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution or the Communist Party, which makes the selection of an opponent of the regime most unlikely. "[25]
William M. LeoGrande, in a paper written for the Cuba Transition Project at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami, wrote of the 1992 election law: "unprecedented openness in debate, not just among party members, but also among the entire populace, so as to foster greater participation and build 'the necessary consensus' for the government's policy response. William M LeoGrande is the current Dean of the American University School of Public Affairs and frequent publisher and expert on Latin America. The University of Miami (also known as Miami of Florida, UM, or just The U) is a private non-sectarian University founded in 1925 . . Eventually, some three million people participated in the pre-Congress discussions", but "When the new electoral law was finalized… it dashed any hopes for a significant opening to alternative voices. The ban on campaigning was retained, and the nomination of provincial and national assembly candidates was entrusted to Candidacy Commissions. Through an elaborate process of consultation… the Candidacy Commissions… produced slates of nominees with just one candidate per seat. Voters only had the choice of voting yes or no. Thus, the election process at the provincial and national levels avoided the possibility of even implicit policy differences among candidates. ”[10]
A book which studied the 1997-1998 elections argues that there were multiple candidates in the open nomination assemblies held for the nominiation of these candidates for these seats. [11]
References
- ^ Granma.
- ^ IPU Parline.
- ^ Cubaminrex.cu Website of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ^ text at http://www.cubaverdad.net/2002_constitutional_amendment.htm
- ^ see Amnesty International's description of this and other events surrounding the Varela Project at http://web.amnesty.org/report2003/cub-summary-eng,
- ^ Cubaminrex
- ^ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- ^ Cuba Solidarity
- ^ Cubafacts.com
- ^ William M. Leogrande Paper
- ^ August, A. (1999). Democracy in Cuba and the 1997-1998 Elections, Montreal:Canada-Cuba Distribution. ISBN 0-9685084-0-5.
See also
- Communist state
- Democracy
- Democratic centralism
- Democratic republic
- Non-partisan democracy
- Opposition to Fidel Castro
- Single-party state
- Soviet democracy
External links
- Trade, Democracy and Peace: The Virtuous Cycle
- U.S., Cuba and Democracy —By William Blum
- Democracy in Cuba
- Democracy for Cuba Program —Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe
- Cuba, Democracy, and the Multiparty Political System —By Tom Crumpacker
- How to Support Cuba’s Democracy-in-Waiting —Heritage Foundation
- Democracy in Cuba —by Louis Proyect
- US-Cuba Democracy PAC information from Sourcewatch
- Is Cuba democratic Cuban Solidarity page
- Human Rights and democracy in Cuba —Washington Office on Latin America
- Cuba the greatest democracy on Earth —A Short Discussion of the Cuban Electoral System from Cuban government files
- Center for a free Cuba
- Democracy in Cuba The Cuban experience - Thinkquest
- Cuba's embargoed democracy - By Robert Buddan, Jamaica Gleaner newspaper (November 11, 2007)
- Elections in Cuba
- The Electoral process in Cuba — Democracy in Cuba
- Cuban Elections and events 1990-2001
- Guide to Cuba's Political and Electoral System by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Communist state is a term used by many Political scientists to describe a Form of government in which the State operates under a one-party system Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives For the Soviet republics of the Soviet Union see Republics of the Soviet Union. The term "liberal" in "liberal democracy" does not imply that the government of such a democracy must follow the political ideology of Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes where as much decision-making authority as practical is shifted to the organization's lowest geographic Totalitarian democracy is a term made famous by Israeli historian J Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist Non-partisan democracy (also no-party democracy) is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic Elections The opposition to Fidel Castro ' s Marxist Government is largely unofficial and illegal within Cuba itself A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party For the Soviet republics of the Soviet Union see Republics of the Soviet Union.
- "Cuba says nearly 97 per cent voted in local elections"
- Background Note: Cuba
- Cubafacts.com
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic