No campaigns, little dissent and even less choice
By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ | The Associated Press
January 19, 2008
HAVANA - There is no mudslinging or million-dollar war chest. No party
nominations, dirty tricks or battles for key endorsements.
In fact, there's no campaigning at all. And the most famous candidate,
Fidel Castro, hasn't been seen in public for almost 18 months.
Still, more than 90 percent of voters are expected to turn out Sunday
for parliamentary elections — a key step in determining whether the
ailing Castro remains head of state.
The 81-year-old Castro is up for re-election to the legislature, as is
his younger brother Raul, who has run the government since July 2006.
Fidel Castro, who is recovering from an undisclosed illness, has been
the island's unchallenged leader since the 1959 revolution that
overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista.
Castro wrote in December that he would not cling to power or stand in
the way of new generations, but has not indicated whether he would step
aside permanently. He still leads the Council of State, Cuba's top
governing body, and re-election to the parliament is a necessity if he
wants to retain that post.
New lawmakers have 45 days after the election to choose a new Council of
State from their members, meaning a decision on whether Castro will
remain its president, or retire, could come by March.
The Communist Party is the only one allowed and while candidates do not
have to be members, they are the only ones who reach leadership
positions. Instead of campaigning, candidates' resumes — including those
of the Castro brothers — were published in state-run newspapers and
posted at polling places.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper dismissed the
island's electoral process, saying "these elections are not a break with
past practice in Cuba and do not represent a real opportunity for the
Cuban people to decide for themselves how they will be governed and who
will govern them."
But Cuban officials insist their very orderly elections are more
democratic than the rambunctious sort taking place in the United States.
"Although in Cuba parties don't exist and we don't do campaigns, there's
very active participation from our population," said Maria Esther Reus,
head of Cuba's National Electoral Commission.
But Oscar Espinosa Chepe, a dissident who was sentenced to 20 years in
prison during a crackdown in 2003, said high turnout rates create the
impression of "false unanimity."
Espinosa Chepe, who was freed on medical parole, called Sunday's
candidates "carefully chosen, loyal, star-lovers" who put the Communist
Party and its leadership above all else.
According to Amarelis Perez of Cuba's Candidates' Commission, only 37
percent of those running for the 614-seat parliament are incumbents. She
said 28 percent of candidates are "workers or peasants" and 43 percent
are women.
Many Cubans privately complain about their country's political system,
but finding those willing to do so openly is difficult.
"Every revolutionary has an obligation to vote," said Oramis Mirabal, a
26-year-old in Old Havana who said he felt "very represented" by Cuban
lawmakers.
Cuba's 8.4 million voters are given a list of candidates, just one per
post, and are strongly encouraged to check a single box supporting all
of them. If they do not like one candidate or another, they can mark
individual boxes next to names and leave others blank.
Candidates who don't get 50 percent of votes lose, and a special
commission would meet to nominate a replacement, though National
Assembly officials could not remember that happening since Cuba began
directly electing its parliament in 1993.
Even voters profoundly disappointed with the system usually vote because
failing to show up at the polls can draw unwanted attention from
pro-government neighborhood watch committees whose support can be needed
to get jobs, housing or other official approvals.
Critics urge disgruntled Cubans to turn in blank ballots. But during
voting for municipal assemblies in October, Reus said 96 percent of
eligible voters participated and 92 percent cast valid ballots. She
suggested most of the other 4 percent who did not vote at all were
probably too ill to go to the polls or were traveling.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-flhcubaelect0119sbjan19,0,6817154.story
No comments:
Post a Comment