Parliamentary Elections in February

HAVANA TIMES — Cuba’s Council of State of has called for elections to take place on February 3 of next year for delegates to the Provincial Assemblies of People’s Power and for deputies to the National Parliament, reports Granma newspaper.

The article states that “elections will be held in which voters of the Republic will elect, for a term of five years, delegates to the provincial assemblies and deputies to the National Assembly of People’s Power.”

The voters will be presented with a slate of candidates to vote for with one candidate for each seat.

The election process began this past October with the election of municipal delegates and will culminate with the selection by the parliament of the Council of State, the highest executive body of the country. Through that body, President Raul Castro is more than likely to be re-elected.

Raul Castro, who took over the command of his ailing brother Fidel in 2006, proposed term limitation for a maximum of 10 years (two terms of five years each) for offices in the government and the Communist Party. This would keep him in office until 2017.