The Organization of the Cuban State and Government

Elio Delgado Legon

HAVANA TIMES, March 19 — Those who assert that the government in Cuba is a dictatorship are deliberately lying. In my previous article I explained how all members of government are elected, be it the most modest member of a municipal assembly or a deputy to the National Assembly.

These latter representatives, I repeat, elect the members of the Council of State from among their fellow deputies by direct secret ballot.

Under Section 89 of the Cuban Constitution, “Between sessions of the National Assembly of People’s Power, the Council of State is the body that executes the agreements and complies with the other functions that the constitution attributes to it.

“It is the highest representative of the Cuban state in relation to national and international purposes.”

Article 90 of the constitution itself defines in detail the functions of the Council of State, and Article 91 states: “All decisions of the Council of State are adopted by an affirmative vote by a simple majority of its members.”

Understanding this, can anyone really not have bad intentions when they assert that a dictatorship exists in Cuba?

Everyone knows that children and grandchildren of the people linked to the bloody Batista dictatorship, who fled Cuba in 1959, have never forgiven the Cuban Revolution for overthrowing that tyranny.

Therefore they’ve invented a whole host of slanderous accusations that are repeated through the transnational media to convince people who don’t know Cuba of those falsehoods.

The people of Cuba would never accept a dictatorship without fighting against it. Thousands of Cubans, the best of the country’s youth, were killed when struggling against dictatorships – first, that of Gerardo Machado and later during the two periods of the rule of Fulgencio Batista. However the current Cuban government enjoys overwhelming and spontaneous support like never seen before.

It’s admirable to see the support it receives, especially from youth — young workers as well as students — at a time when the world’s young people are constantly repressed by riot troops, tear gas and water hoses only for asking for things to which youth here have full rights, such as free education.

Young Cubans only take to the streets to recall and honor their martyrs and to support the revolutionary process.

One only has to look at the photos of the public events that are held here every May Day, on International Workers Day, to cite just one example. The enemies of the revolution have invented fallacies by saying such things like attendance at these events are mandatory under the threat of one losing their job.

But is it possible to force an entire people to also be so enthusiastic and to display their joy in participating in such acts and in supporting the revolution?

In Cuba, all important issues and legislation that impact the entire population are discussed with everyone, as happened with the “Guidelines” (economic reform document) prior to the Sixth Party Congress, which I previously discussed.

The Constitution of the Republic, which was enacted in 1976, collected the opinions of millions of Cubans and was then subjected to a referendum in which more than 97 percent of the eligible voters participated and was approved by 97.7 percent of the valid votes. In other words, only 2.3 percent of the adult population in Cuba didn’t approve of that constitution. So can this situation be called a dictatorship?

I’ve read some opinions that say that those people who disagree with socialism should have someone to represent them in parliament.

Assuming an amendment to the constitution was to be made and the approval of the creation of electoral parties, I wonder how 2.3 percent of the voters fragmented into several different parties could elect someone to represent them?