Questioning the Cuban political and electoral system is one of the fundamental pillars of the U.S.-led anti-Cuban campaign over democracy and human rights.

In this campaign, the United States is supported by other industrialised capitalist countries, most of which are former colonial metropolises, who are also interested in imposing on developing countries a model of political organisation which allows the former to continue controlling and dominating the latter.

Washington’s spokespersons seek to demonstrate the alleged incompatibility of the political system put in place by the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba with internationally accepted norms relating to democracy and human rights, thus creating a false image of an intolerant, static society which does not permit plurality and political participation.

The two International Covenants on Human Rights pacts recognise that “all peoples have the right of self-determination, including the right to determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”.

In the declaration and action plan adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights which took place in Vienna in 1993 it was also established that: “democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives”.

The Cuban political system is genuinely authentic and autochthonous and is based on the experienced handed down by its rich history of struggle for equality and solidarity between men and women, independence, sovereignty, non-discrimination, unity, participation, people’s power and social justice.

In order to explain the Cuban political system the first thing that must be stressed is that our model is not imported, it was never a copy of the Soviet model, nor of that existing in the then socialist countries in eastern Europe, as the enemies of the Revolution would have it seem.

With the approval of the socialist Constitution by a popular referendum in 1976, an important process of institution building in the country took a step forward setting up, among other things, the People’s Power bodies such as the National Assembly, the Supreme Court and the Council of State.

In 1992, significant reforms were implemented in the Cuban Constitution and electoral system to make it possible for deputies to the National Assembly and delegates to provincial assemblies to be elected by direct and secret ballot; delegates to municipal assemblies were already elected in this manner.

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Cuba-US: Elections that don´t bear comparison