Lively Discussion on Elections in Cuba
On the evening of March 17, His Excellency Hector Igarza Cabrera, Cuba's Ambassador to Canada, spoke to friends of Cuba in the Ottawa-Gatineau region about the upcoming national elections in Cuba.
The Ambassador explained that elections for the National Assembly take place every five years as part of the democratic process in Cuba. The Communist Party of Cuba does not nominate candidates; that role belongs to electors and various collectives of the people so that all sectors of the economy and society are represented. These include the Cuban Workers' Central and the Federation of Cuban Women, organizations of the youth, agricultural workers and others. Cuba has the highest percentage of women delegates at 55.3 per cent of its National Assembly, second only to Rwanda in terms of the number of women in office.
The Ambassador pointed out that this year's elections are taking place in a context of an extremely difficult economic situation, with shortages of food, medicine and electricity. On top of this, a U.S.-backed campaign of total interference in Cuba's electoral process is taking place on social media calling on the Cuban people to either not vote or to spoil their ballot. These combined factors may play a role in reducing the number of votes cast, he said, at least to some extent. At the same time, the participation of the Cuban people in the political process is extraordinarily vibrant and broad, he said. It even includes the children who are mobilized to oversee the ballot boxes and ensure that all voting is done according to the requirements of the electoral law. The participation of people from all walks of life in nominating candidates, voting for them and supervising them after they are elected is proof of the confidence the people have in their own government.
The Ambassador explained that unlike elections in the U.S., for example, in Cuba there is no campaigning as far as the candidates are concerned. Rather than having endless campaign meetings and advertising where candidates try to outdo one another in terms of lies and false promises, in Cuba candidates simply fill out a one-page curriculum vitae. When asked what quality Cubans look for when choosing a candidate, the Ambassador immediately answered that the people expect their elected representatives to serve their community. That is the criteria.
Ambassador Igarza insisted that the biggest obstacle at this time in terms of meeting the basic needs of the people in Cuba is the blockade. He said that the minute a product on the market contains 10 per cent of U.S. components, it cannot be sold to Cuba. He spoke of a contract worth $4.7 million with a pharmaceutical company in Canada for the purchase of antibiotics and products for the treatment of cancer. The company was bought by U.S. interests and the contract was ended. The importation of oil to Cuba is also sanctioned, leading to blackouts and problems in transportation. A positive aspect in terms of relations with Canada, the Ambassador pointed out, is that 52 per cent of tourists in Cuba are Canadian. As well, because of the Canadian Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act (FEMA), Canadian businesses can circumvent U.S.-imposed restrictions on trade with Cuba.
Following the meeting a call was adopted to use the occasion of the visit to Ottawa of U.S. President Joe Biden on March 23 to protest the U.S. blockade of Cuba and demand it be ended. It was considered that Biden would most likely claim to be a great defender of human rights, even as the blockade is an open attack on the human rights of the Cuban people and it is making life extremely hard for the ordinary people. These sanctions are aggravated by the fact that the U.S. has put Cuba on a spurious list of so-called State Sponsors of Terrorism, which makes it even more difficult for Cuba to undertake business and commercial transactions with other nations, depriving the Cuban people of basic necessities for their health and well-being.
In total violation of the right of peoples to self-determination and the international rule of law, as well as through open interference in the life of Cuban people, the U.S. continues to try to fan the flames of discontent. This is done with the avowed aim of making the Cuban people suffer, in hopes that this will lead to regime change. It is a failed policy which for 60 years has not incited the Cuban people to rise up against the revolution which is the guarantee of their sovereignty.
This article was published in
Volume 53 Number 4 - April 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/M5300417.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca