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Cuba has had a socialist political system since 1959 based on the "one state – one party" principle. Cuba is constitutionally defined as a Marxist–Leninist state. The present
Constitution of Cuba Even before attaining its independence from Spain, Cuba had several constitutions either proposed or adopted by insurgents as governing documents for territory they controlled during their war against Spain. Cuba has had several constitutions si ...
, which was passed in a 2019 referendum, also describes the role of the
Communist Party of Cuba The Communist Party of Cuba ( es, Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 2 ...
to be the "leading force of society and of the state" and as having the capability of setting national policy, and First Secretary of the Communist Party is the most powerful position in Cuba. The 2019 Constitution of Cuba identifies the ideals represented by Cuban independence hero José Martí and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro as the primary foundation of Cuba's political system, while also stressing the importance of the influence of the ideas of Marx, Engels, and Lenin. The President of Cuba is
Miguel Díaz-Canel Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel y Bermúdez (; born 20 April 1960) also known as MADCB, is a politician and engineer who is the third first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba. Díaz-Canel succeeds the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro, making ...
, who succeeded Raúl Castro as
First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba ( es, Primer Secretario del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba) is the ''de facto'' leader of Cuba. The First Secretary is the highest office within the Commu ...
, the supreme leader position in 2021. Díaz-Canel is the first ruler of Communist Cuba to not hail from the family of Fidel or Raúl Castro. Executive power is exercised by the government, which is represented by the
Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or ...
, headed by the Prime Minister of Cuba. Legislative power is exercised through the unicameral
National Assembly of People's Power The National Assembly of People's Power ( es, Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) is the unicameral parliament of the Republic of Cuba. It is currently composed of 605 representatives who are elected from multi-member electoral districts for a ...
, which is constituted as the maximum authority of the state. With effect from 10 October 2019,
Miguel Díaz-Canel Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel y Bermúdez (; born 20 April 1960) also known as MADCB, is a politician and engineer who is the third first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba. Díaz-Canel succeeds the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro, making ...
is the president and
Manuel Marrero Manuel (Puerca Jarta) Marrero Cruz (born 11 July 1963) is a Cuban politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of Cuba, and the first since re-establishment of the office of Prime Minister in December 2019 after the 43-year abolition of t ...
is the Prime Minister of Cuba. The previous president of the State Council was Raúl Castro, brother of former leader Fidel Castro; Raúl Castro remained
First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba ( es, Primer Secretario del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba) is the ''de facto'' leader of Cuba. The First Secretary is the highest office within the Commu ...
, and Commander-in-Chief of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...
until 19 April 2021. Fidel Castro ruled from 1959 to 2006, before illness forced him to hand power to his brother. Esteban Lazo Hernández is the president of the National Assembly. Political scientists characterize the political system of Cuba as a single-party
authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voti ...
regime where political opposition is not permitted. There are
elections in Cuba Elections in Cuba are held at municipal, provincial, and national levels. Cuba is a one-party state, with the Communist Party of Cuba being described as the "superior driving force of the society and the state" in the Constitution of Cuba, and al ...
, but they are not considered democratic. Censorship of information (including limits to internet access) is extensive, and independent journalism is repressed in Cuba; Reporters Without Borders has characterized Cuba as one of the worst countries in the world for press freedom."Press Freedom Index 2015"
Reporters Without Borders. Retrieved 12 November 2015


Executive

Executive power is exercised by the government. From February 1959 until February 2008, Cuba was led by revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who was Head of State, Head of Government, First Secretary of the Communist Party, and Commander in Chief of the
Cuban armed forces The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias; FAR) are the military forces of Cuba. They include ground forces, naval forces, air and air defence forces, and other paramilitary bodies including the Territorial Tr ...
. The
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...
is the principal organ of state security and control. According to the
Constitution of Cuba Even before attaining its independence from Spain, Cuba had several constitutions either proposed or adopted by insurgents as governing documents for territory they controlled during their war against Spain. Cuba has had several constitutions si ...
, Article 94, the First Vice President of the Council of State assumes presidential duties upon the illness or death of the President. On July 31, 2006, during the
2006 Cuban transfer of duties 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
, Fidel Castro delegated his duties as President of the
Council of state A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
, first secretary of the
Cuban Communist Party The Communist Party of Cuba ( es, Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 2 ...
and the post of commander in chief of the armed forces to first Vice President Raúl Castro. Since 2019, the President of Cuba is also limited to two five year terms.


Legislature

Cuba has an elected national legislature, the
National Assembly of People's Power The National Assembly of People's Power ( es, Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) is the unicameral parliament of the Republic of Cuba. It is currently composed of 605 representatives who are elected from multi-member electoral districts for a ...
(''Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular''), which has 612 members, elected every 5 years and holds brief sessions to ratify decisions by the executive branch. The National Assembly convenes twice a year in ordinary periods of sessions. However, it has permanent commissions to look after issues of legislative interest. Among its permanent or temporary commissions are those in charge of issues concerning the economy, sugar industry, industries, transportation and communications, constructions, foreign affairs, public health, defense and interior order. The National Assembly also has permanent departments that oversee the work of the Commissions, Local Assemblies of the People's Power, International Relations, Judicial Affairs and the Administration. Article 88(h) of the
Constitution of Cuba Even before attaining its independence from Spain, Cuba had several constitutions either proposed or adopted by insurgents as governing documents for territory they controlled during their war against Spain. Cuba has had several constitutions si ...
, adopted in 1976, provides for citizen proposals of law, prerequisite that the proposal be made by at least 10,000 citizens who are eligible to vote. In 2002 supporters of a movement known as the
Varela Project The Varela Project ( es, Proyecto Varela) is a project that was started in 1998 by Oswaldo Payá of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL) and named after Felix Varela, a Cuban religious leader. Many members were imprisoned during the Black Spr ...
submitted a citizen proposal of law with 11,000 signatures calling for a national referendum on political and economic reforms. The Government response was to collect 8.1 million signatures to request that Cuba's National Assembly enact a constitutional amendment making socialism an unalterable feature of Cuban government.


Committees for the Defense of the Revolution

The
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution Committees for the Defense of the Revolution ( es, Comités de Defensa de la Revolución, links=no), or CDR, are a network of neighborhood committees across Cuba. The organizations, described as the "eyes and ears of the Revolution," exist to h ...
is a network of neighborhood organizations across Cuba of which most Cubans are members. The organizations are designed to put medical, educational or other campaigns into national effect, and to report "counter-revolutionary" activity. It is the duty of the CDR officials to know the political activities of each person in their respective blocks.


Political parties and elections

Suffrage is non-compulsory and is afforded to Cuban citizens who have resided for two years on the island. Such citizens must be aged over sixteen years, must not have been found guilty of a criminal offense, and cannot be mentally handicapped. Cubans living abroad are denied the right to vote. The national elections for the 612 members of the National Assembly of People's Power are held according to this system and the precepts of the 1976
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princi ...
. Under the system, neighbors meet to propose the candidates to the Municipal Assemblies in a public, show of hands vote. The candidates do not present a political platform, but only their resumes. No political party, not even the
Communist Party of Cuba The Communist Party of Cuba ( es, Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 2 ...
, is permitted to nominate or campaign for any candidate. The municipal candidates elected in each neighborhood then elect the Municipal Assembly members. In turn, the Municipal Assembly members elect the Provincial Assembly members, who in turn elect the national Assembly members. A direct vote is then cast to decide whether the decanted members that appear in the final step need to be ratified. , - !style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" width=400, Members !style="background-color:#E9E9E9", Seats , - , style="text-align:left;" , 609 candidates (one candidate per seat). Up to 50% of the candidates must be chosen by the Municipal Assemblies. The candidates are otherwise proposed by nominating assemblies, which comprise representatives of workers, youth, women, students and farmers as well as members of the
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution Committees for the Defense of the Revolution ( es, Comités de Defensa de la Revolución, links=no), or CDR, are a network of neighborhood committees across Cuba. The organizations, described as the "eyes and ears of the Revolution," exist to h ...
, after initial mass meetings soliciting a first list of names. The final list of candidates is drawn up by the National Candidature Commission taking into account criteria such as candidates' merit, patriotism, ethical values and revolutionary history. , 609 , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9", Total elected , width="30" style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 609


State leaders


Communist Party of Cuba

*First Secretary: Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez *Second Secretary: Jose Ramon Machado Ventura *Members of Politburo: Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández,
Salvador Valdés Mesa Salvador Antonio Valdés Mesa (born 13 June 1945) is a Cuban politicianDamien CaveRaúl Castro Says His Current Term as President of Cuba Will Be His Last ''The New York Times'', 24 February 2013 and former trade union leader. He is the First V ...
,
José Ramón Machado Ventura José Ramón Machado Ventura, M.D. (born 26 October 1930) is a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the First Vice President of the Council of State of Cuba from 2008 to 2013. With the election of Raúl Castro as President of Cuba on 24 Fe ...
, Roberto Morales Ojeda, Álvaro López Miera,
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla (born 22 January 1958) is a Cuban diplomat and politician. He is a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba, and has served as Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2009. Biography and career ...
, Abelardo Álvarez Gil, Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, Teresa María Amarelle Bué, Marta Ayala Ávila,
Manuel Marrero Cruz Manuel (Puerca Jarta) Marrero Cruz (born 11 July 1963) is a Cuban politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of Cuba, and the first since re-establishment of the office of Prime Minister in December 2019 after the 43-year abolition of t ...
, José Amado Ricardo Guerra, Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, Gladys Martínez Verdecia. *Members of Secretariat:
Miguel Díaz-Canel Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel y Bermúdez (; born 20 April 1960) also known as MADCB, is a politician and engineer who is the third first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba. Díaz-Canel succeeds the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro, making ...
, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Abelardo Álvarez Gil, Roberto Morales Ojeda, Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, Joel Queipo Ruiz, José Ramón Monteagudo Ruiz, Félix Duarte Ortega, Jorge Luis Broche Lorenzo.


Council of State

*President: Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández *First Vice President: Ana María Mari Machado *Vice Presidents: Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández, Gladys María Bejerano Portela,
José Ramón Machado Ventura José Ramón Machado Ventura, M.D. (born 26 October 1930) is a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the First Vice President of the Council of State of Cuba from 2008 to 2013. With the election of Raúl Castro as President of Cuba on 24 Fe ...
*Secretary: Homero Acosta Álvarez


Council of Ministers

*Prime Minister:
Manuel Marrero Manuel (Puerca Jarta) Marrero Cruz (born 11 July 1963) is a Cuban politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of Cuba, and the first since re-establishment of the office of Prime Minister in December 2019 after the 43-year abolition of t ...
*First Deputy Prime Minister:
Salvador Valdés Mesa Salvador Antonio Valdés Mesa (born 13 June 1945) is a Cuban politicianDamien CaveRaúl Castro Says His Current Term as President of Cuba Will Be His Last ''The New York Times'', 24 February 2013 and former trade union leader. He is the First V ...
*Deputy Prime Ministers: Marino Alberto Murillo Jorge,
Ulises Rosales del Toro General Ulises Rosales del Toro (born March 8, 1942), is a Cuban politician. He is the former Cuban Minister of Agriculture (2008–2010). Early life He serves in Cuba's Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba and he has served as chief of th ...
, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, Ricardo Cabrisas Ruíz,
Antonio Enrique Lussón Batlle Antonio Enrique Lussón Batlle (born 1930), Cuban military officer and one of four Vice Presidents of the Council of Ministers. Early life Batlle was born in Santiago de Cuba to a financially stable family. and he obtained a good education, but ...
*Minister of Interior:
Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas Lázaro is a Spanish or Portuguese-based given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Lázaro (footballer, born 1990), full name Lázaro Vinícius Alves Martins, Brazilian footballer * Lázaro (footballer, born 2002), f ...
*Minister of the Armed Forces: Álvaro López Miera


National Assembly of People's Power

*President: Esteban Lazo Hernández *Vice President: Jaime Alberto Crombet Hernández-Baquero *Secretary: Miriam Brito Sarroca


Foreign relations

Cuba's foreign policy has been scaled back and redirected as a result of
economic hardship An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the p ...
after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Without massive Soviet subsidies and its primary trading partner Cuba was comparatively isolated in the 1990s, but has since entered bilateral co-operation with several South American countries, most notably Venezuela and
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. Cuba has normal diplomatic and economic relations with every country in the Western hemisphere except El Salvador and the United States. El Salvador, under the new government of Mauricio Funes, is expected to institute both in June, 2009. The United States continues an embargo "so long as ubacontinues to refuse to move toward democratization and greater respect for human rights." The European Union accuses Cuba of "continuing flagrant violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms", but also "Reiterates its condemnation of the US embargo on Cuba, and calls for it to be lifted forthwith, as the UN General Assembly has repeatedly demanded." Cuba has developed a growing relationship with the People's Republic of China and
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
. In all, Cuba continues to have formal relations with 160 nations, and provided civilian assistance workers – principally medical – in more than 20 nations. More than two million exiles have escaped to foreign countries. Cuba's present foreign minister is
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla (born 22 January 1958) is a Cuban diplomat and politician. He is a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba, and has served as Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2009. Biography and career ...
.


Authoritarianism

Political scientists characterize the political system of Cuba as non-democratic and authoritarian. It is a single-party authoritarian regime where political opposition is not permitted. There are elections in Cuba but critics challenge whether they are democratic. Censorship of information (including limits to internet access) is extensive, and independent journalism is repressed in Cuba; Reporters Without Borders has characterized Cuba as one of the worst countries in the world for press freedom."Press Freedom Index 2015"
Reporters Without Borders. Retrieved 12 November 2015
Officially, Cuba frames itself as a " people's democracy", as opposed to the " liberal democracy" of Western states. Cuba thus rejects criticism of its political system as a lack of appreciation for different forms of democracy other than those in capitalist states. It alludes to the grass roots elements in the nomination of candidates at neighborhood level (in the so-called ''circunscripciones''). Opposition groups inside and outside the country as well as a summary published by Human Rights Watch and certain foreign governments have described the Cuban political system as undemocratic. The
United States Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...
has initiated various policy measures; these have been ostensibly designed to urge Cuba to undertake political change towards a multi-party electoral system. These plans have been condemned by the Cuban Government, who accuses the United States of meddling in Cuba's affairs.


Human rights

According to
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ri ...
, Castro constructed a "repressive machinery" that continues to deprive Cubans of their basic rights. The Cuban government has been accused of numerous
human rights abuse Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
s, including torture, arbitrary imprisonment, unfair trials, and extrajudicial executions (a.k.a. ''"El Paredón"''). Human Rights Watch reports that the government represses nearly all forms of political dissent. There are many restrictions on leaving the country. The country's first ever transgender municipal delegate was elected in the province of Villa Clara in early 2013. Adela Hernández is a resident of the town of
Caibarién Caibarién is a municipality city in the Villa Clara province of Cuba. Caibarién is known as "La Villa Blanca" () for its sands and beaches. They are famous for their "Parrandas" (Carnivals) along with Remedios (the neighboring town located ...
and works as a nurse electrocardiogram specialist. In Cuba, delegates are not professional politicians and, therefore, do not receive a government salary.


Corruption

The 2012 Transparency International
Corruption Perceptions Index The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index which ranks countries "by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys." The CPI generally defines corruption as an "abuse of entru ...
ranked the Cuba 58th out of 176 countries, tied with Jordan and Namibia. and has lower levels than most of the other countries in the Caribbean and Central America. In 2006, it was ranked in 112th place, tied with India.


References


Further reading

*Erikson, Daniel P. (2005). "Charting Castro's Possible Successors". ''SAIS Review 25.1'', 89–103. *Evenson, Debra (1994). ''Revolution in the balance: Law and society in contemporary Cuba.'' Westview Press, Boulder. . * Grenier, Yvon (2017), ''Culture and the Cuban State; Participation, Recognition, and Dissonance under Communism'' (Lexington Books) *(fr)
Danielle Bleitrach Danielle Bleitrach (born 1938) is a French sociologist and journalist. From the 1970s through the end of the century, she was CNRS researcher and lecturer at the Aix-Marseille University, focusing on the sociology of the working class and urbani ...
and Jean-François Bonaldi, ''Cuba, Fidel et le Che ou l'aventure du socialisme'', Editions ''Le Temps des Cerises'', 2009 .


External links


Cubaweb – Official Cuban Web PortalGobierno de la República de Cuba – Government of the Republic of CubaCuban ParliamentPeople's Supreme Court
{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of Cuba