9-29-07, 10:20 am
More than 7 million voters in Cuba participated in nominations for municipal delegates, a process that has just concluded with 37,328 citizens proposed for voters’ ballots in the upcoming October 21 elections.
María Esther Reus, president of the National Electoral Commission, said on the Sept. 26 “Roundtable” radio and TV program that this important stage of the process had featured massive and enthusiastic participation by the people, and was notable for the organization and quality of the 50,760 assemblies that had taken place. This made it a resounding success, a manifestation of democracy and transparency, she said.
The nominees include 10,799 women, some 1,600 more than in previous nominations. This was also commented on by Yolanda Ferrer, general secretary of the Federation of Cuban Women.
Likewise, a significant number of young people were nominated: 7,949 candidates are 35 or younger, and the number of 16- to 40-year-olds is 14,373. Also significant: 83.8% of those nominated are graduates of university or other institutes of higher education, reflecting the success of the Revolution in that sphere.
According to Ricardo Alarcón, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, what is happening today in Cuba’s electoral process should be analyzed within the international context, and particularly in comparison with the United States. If, one day, similar regulations were to be applied in the United States — citizen’s professions registered in voter’s list, the public availability of that information, nomination of candidates by the people — it would be impossible to maintain the current imperial regime, much less hand the presidency over to men like W. Bush.
Alarcón also noted that the ties between delegates and their voters are a key element in the Cuban political system. The great public accompaniment of their electoral process, he commented, should continue with the everyday fulfillment of their duties on the part of those elected representatives, who play a crucial role in the resistance and daily combat waged by the Cuban people against the genocidal war imposed on them by the empire.
From Granma Daily
