Elections in Cuba.
Archive search on election or eleccion
The UN's assessment of the so called elections is correct:
"the electoral process is so tightly controlled that the final phase, the voting itself, could be dispensed with without the final result being substantially affected"See: E/CN.4/1998/69
For the local elections candidates are nominated in open meetings run by the CDR (Committees to Defend the Revolution) [1] 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 [2] in that public meeting filled with informants. People not supporting can be threatened with losing their home [3], job, ....
These "candidates" then are to be approved by "electoral committees" stuffed with representatives of the
communists front organizations (see the Cuban electoral law) [4].
For national elections the local "elected candidates" at the local level can "select" candidates from a restricted list drawn up by the communist front organizations [5].
And then for the results result:
PCC 94.39%; seats - PCC 601
http://workmall.com/wfb2001/cuba/cuba_government.html
and even in 2005 for the local elections: 78% of "candidates" member of the communist party:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaVerdad/message/14813
Just a "coincidence" I guess.
[2] Repressive laws in Cuba.1.. Article 144, which defines the crime of desacato, or "disrespect." Itstates that anyone who threatens, slanders, defames, insults, harms or inanyway outrages or offends, verbally or in writing, the dignity or honor ofan authority, public official, or their agents or auxiliaries, in theexercise of their functions or because of them can be imprisoned for betweenthree months and one year or fined or both. If the act of disrespect isdirected at the head of state or other senior officials the penalty is aprison term from one to three years.2.. Articles 208 and 209, which define the crime of asociación ilícita, or"illicit association." These articles state that anyone belonging to anunregistered association can be fined or imprisoned for between one andthree months. The promoters or leaders of such an association can be finedor imprisoned for between three months and a year. Anyone who participatesin illegal meetings or demonstrations can be fined or imprisoned for betweenone and three months. The organizers of illegal meetings or demonstrationscan be fined or imprisoned for between three months and a year.3.. Article 103, which defines the crime of propaganda enemiga, or "enemypropaganda." It states that anyone who incites against the social order,international solidarity or the socialist state by means of verbal, writtenor any other kind of propaganda, or who makes, distributes or possesses suchpropaganda, can be imprisoned from between one to eight years. Anyone whospreads false news or malicious predictions likely to cause alarm ordiscontent among the population, or public disorder, can be imprisoned frombetween one and four years. If the mass media are used, the sentence can befrom seven to fifteen years in prison.4.. Article 207, which defines the crime of asociación para delinquir, or"associating with others to commit crimes." It states that if three or morepersons join together in a group to commit crimes, they can be imprisonedfor between one and three years, simply for meeting together. If the onlyobjective of the group is to provoke disorder or interrupt family or publicparties, spectacles or other community events or to commit other anti-socialacts, the penalty is a fine or a prison sentence of between three months andone year.5.. Article 115, which defines the crime of difusión de falsas informacionescontra la paz internacional, or "dissemination of false information against international peace."It states that anyone who spreads false news with aim of disturbing international peace or puttingin danger the prestige or credit of the Cuban State or its good relations with anotherstate can be imprisoned for between one and four years.6.. Article 143, which defines the crime of resistencia, or "resistance."On occasion, the crime is referred to as desobediencia, or "disobedience."It states that anyone who resists an official in the exercise of his dutiescan be imprisoned for between three months and a year or fined. If theofficial is trying to apprehend a criminal or someone who has escaped fromprison, the penalty is a prison term from two to five years.7.. Articles 72-90, which define the crime of peligrosidad, or"dangerousness." These articles come under the heading, "The DangerousStatus and Security Measures," a section of the Penal Code under whichsomeone can be sentenced for up to four years in prison on the grounds thatthe authorities believe the individual has a "special proclivity" to commitcrimes, even though he or she might not have actually committed a crime.These articles broadly define "dangerous" people as those who act in amanner that contradicts "socialist morality" or engage in "anti-socialbehavior." Moreover, Article 75 provides for an "official warning" to peoplethe authorities deem to be in danger of becoming "dangerous," i.e., thosewho are not yet "dangerous" but who are regarded as having criminaltendencies because of their "ties or relations with people who arepotentially dangerous to society, other people, and to the social, economicand political order of the socialist State."The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) concludes that becauseof "their lack of precision and their subjective nature," the legaldefinitions of "dangerousness" and such terms as "socialist legality" and"standards of socialist coexistence,"constitute a source of juridical insecurity which creates conditionspermitting the Cuban authorities to take arbitrary action.22In other words, the Penal Code articles which define "dangerousness"constitute a catch-all mechanism which gives the government the legaljustification for taking any citizen it wants out of circulation. As HumanRights Watch/Americas stated in October 1995:Cubans who engage in "anti-social behavior" or violate "socialistmorality" may be held in preventive detention under the "dangerousness"provisions of the criminal code for as long as four years, even withoutbeing convicted of a crime.23According to Pax Christi Netherlands and Amnesty International, there areclear indications that the crime of "dangerousness" is used as a cover toimprison people for political reasons on the grounds that they are commondelinquents.24The Penal Code also defines the crime of salida illegal del país, "illegalexit from country." Under Penal Code Articles 216 and 217, those caughttrying to leave the country without the permission of the government can befined or imprisoned for up to three years if they have not used violence andup to eight years if force or intimidation is used.http://www.worldpolicy.org/globalrights/carib/1997-cuba.html#penal
[3] Vote for the communist or ...On February 1, officials held a public meeting in which they criticized Yerofor not voting for Communist candidates and for not participating in thelocal CDR; according to press reports, she received an eviction notice thefollowing day.http://pcmlp.socleg.ox.ac.uk/transition/issue07/cuba.htmOn February 1, 1999, the police and housing officials called her neighborsto a public meeting, where it appears, they declared that Mrs. Sara Yero hadnot voted for Communist Party candidates and did not belong to the localCommittee for the Defense of the Revolution. The next day, Margarita SaraYero received a written eviction notice.Human Rights Watch/Americas, op. cit., World Report 2000, p. 28.http://www.cidh.oas.org/annualrep/99eng/Chapter4.htmIn a few cases, the government used housing regulations to harass independent reporters.In January 1999, housing authorities in Santiago notified Margarita Sara Yero, the directorof the Turquino Correspondence of the Independent Press Agency of Cuba(Agencia de Prensa Independiente de Cuba), that she would be evicted from her home, whereshe had resided for thirty-five years. The officials claimed that she had abandoned her home,but several neighbors confirmed her residency.On February 1, 1999, police and housing officials called her neighbors to a public meeting,where they reportedly stated that Yero had not cast votes for Communist Party candidatesand did not belong to the local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution(Comité para la Defensa de la Revolución).The next day, according to press reports, Yero received a written eviction notice.http://www.hrw.org/wr2k/americas-04.htmEviction Eviction is another less common method of repression used by the authorities to suppress dissidence.Victims are ordered to leave their homes and reportedly sometimes transferred to crowded shelters forthe homeless. Amnesty International is concerned that incidents in which eviction is threatened orcarried out allegedly for political motives or as a means of suppressing freedom of expression,association and assembly undermine respect for the principles articulated in article 12 of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.This article states that ''no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family,home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation,'' and other related rights.For example, in August 1999, as well as being temporarily detained, opposition activistRamón Humberto Colás Castillo, was evicted from his home in Las Tunas province, along with his wife,Berta Mexidor Vázquez, and their two children.Ramón Colás and Berta Mexidor, who were both founders of the first independent library in Cuba, hadlived in their home for 13 years before being told they were illegal occupants. According to Berta Mexidor,the authorities removed all their belongings into lorries in spite of their protests and told them they werebeen moved to another area, some 60 kilometres from their home.They were later taken to a military camp where some 300 people were reportedly housed.According to reports, the family are currently staying with relatives. In January 1999 Margarita Sara Yero, an independent journalist working for Cuba Press in Santiagode Cuba province, was reportedly informed that she had to vacate the home where she had lived forsome 35 years.The reason given by the authorities was reportedly that she ''had abandoned her home and wasthe owner of another''. Margarita Yero's lawyer then wrote to the Dirección Municipal de Vivienda,Municipal Housing Office, with signatures from neighbours confirming that she had never abandoned her home.However, on 2 February 1999 she reportedly received a reply to the letter stating that she would be evictedon 4 February 1999. Due to help from various local organizations and a statement by an old friend who confirmedthat she had been living in that place since 1963, the eviction was not carried out. http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR250042000?open&of=ENG-CUB[4] Cuban "electoral law"Cuba: Ley Electoral de 1992Artículo 30.- Las Comisiones electorales de Circunscripción tienen lasfunciones siguientes:1.. establecer en su territorio, las áreas de nominación de candidatos adelegados a la Asamblea Municipal del Poder Popular, conforme a las reglasdictadas por la Comisión Nacional Electoral y someterlas a la aprobación dela respectiva Comisión Electoral Municipal;2.. organizar, dirigir y presidir las asambleas de nominación decandidatos a Delegados a las Asambleas Municipales del Poder Popular;3.. elaborar la lista de los candidatos de su circunscripción electoral aDelegados a la Asamblea Municipal del Poder Popular y verificar que éstosreúnen los requisitos establecidos;4.. circular y exponer en murales, en lugares públicos, las fotografías ybiografías de los candidatos;5.. participar en la elaboración de la lista de electores por cada ColegioElectoral con la cooperación de la Comisión Electoral Municipal y de lasorganizaciones de masas;6.. hacer pública la lista de electores de cada Colegio;7.. resolver las exclusiones e inclusiones de cualquier persona en elregistro de electores, según proceda, luego de consultar con la ComisiónElectoral Municipal; y subsanar los errores que se adviertan en lasanotaciones;8.. someter a la aprobación de la Comisión Electoral Municipal laubicación de los Colegios Electorales en la circunscripción;9.. garantizar que los Colegios Electorales estén oportunamente ubicados yacondicionados, y divulgar su localización;10.. designar a los miembros de las Mesas de los Colegios Electorales desu circunscripción, cuidando que éstos sean electores de la misma;11.. expedir las credenciales correspondientes a los Presidentes y demásmiembros de las Mesas designados en los Colegios Electorales de sucircunscripción;12.. garantizar la ejecución de los escrutinios en los ColegiosElectorales, de acuerdo con lo dispuesto en esta Ley;13.. realizar el cómputo final de la votación cuando exista más de unColegio Electoral en la circunscripción;14.. hacer público el resultado de la votación;15.. informar a la Comisión Electoral Municipal cuanto se solicite sobreel proceso electoral;16.. rendir informe final del desenvolvimiento del proceso electoralcelebrado en su circunscripción a la Comisión Electoral Municipalcorrespondiente dentro de los tres ( 3 ) días siguientes a su terminación;17.. cualquier otra que les sean atribuidas por la Comisión ElectoralMunicipal o la Asamblea Municipal del Poder Popular correspondiente deacuerdo con las disposiciones de esta Ley y de la Comisión ElectoralNacional.Artículo 68.- Las Comisiones de Candidaturas se integran por representantesde la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba, de los Comités de Defensa de laRevolución, de la Federación de Mujeres Cubanas, de la Asociación Nacionalde Agricultores Pequeños, de la Federación Estudiantil Universitaria y de laFederación de Estudiantes de la Enseñanza Media, designados por lasdirecciones nacionales, provinciales y municipales respectivas, a solicitudde las Comisiones Electorales Nacional, Provinciales y Municipales.En el caso que una de las organizaciones de masas carezca de representaciónen algún municipio se designará un representante por la dirección provincialcorrespondiente.Artículo 69.- Las Comisiones de Candidaturas son presididas por unrepresentante de la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba.http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/Electoral/Cuba/cuba.html
[5] Communist front organizations only can "nominate" national "candidates"From the website of a Canadian admirer of workers'"democracy" under Stalin and anapologist of the Stalinist regime:The various mass organizations - unions, students' and women's federations,etc. - play an active role in the nomination of candidates. In eachmunicipality, they will conduct a candidate search and present theirrecommendations to the Municipal Assembly who may accept or reject any orall of them by a secret vote.http://members.allstream.net/~dchris/CubaFAQ003.htmlCuba's justice minister, Roberto Díaz Sotolongo, the National Assembly alsohas the authority to accept or reject any prospective candidates for publicoffice.56 Given the heavy hand of the government in the electoral process,and the absence of any choice, the constitutional provision that theNational Assembly "represents and expresses the sovereign will of thepeople" rings hollow. (from: Human Rights Watch interview with JusticeMinister Roberto Díaz Sotolongo, New York, June 11, 1998.http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/cuba/Cuba996-03.htm