Alina Balseiro Gutiérrez, president of the electoral body, told the press that the results are favorable and in them the massiveness of Cubans stands out, since on this occasion three percentage points were registered above for the same period during the second stage of the general elections of March 2018.

The official also explained that this result is preliminary and that on Monday the results will be released with a closing date of six in the afternoon this Sunday, although the official figures will be public once the process of reviewing, organizing and validating the results ends, which will happen in the next few days.

From seven o’clock in the morning, more than 24,000 polling stations opened their doors throughout the country, to which the population flocked to express its vote on a text that introduces modifications in the structure of the State and recognizes private property as a supplementary actor in the national economy.

The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, exercised his right to vote in an electoral college in the capital municipality of Playa, to endorse the new Constitution of the Republic of Cuba. After depositing his ballot, Raúl exchanged with the pioneers who guarded the ballot boxes and with the members of the polling station.

Around 8:30 a.m. Miguel Díaz-Canel, President of the Councils of State and Ministers, exercised this right and told the press that the Constitution that was endorsed, now strengthened thanks to the popular consultation to which it was subjected, is also to give continuity to the Revolution and Socialism, to perfect it, and reaffirms the unity of Cubans, immersed in economic tasks and preparation for defense.

Salvador Valdés Mesa, first vice-president of the Councils of State and Ministers, said that the new Magna Carta responds to the current and future interests of the people and even after a multitudinous popular consultation experienced the modification of 60% of its articles, which evidences its democratic character.

José Ramón Machado Ventura, Second Secretary of the PCC, highlighted the transparency and popular participation in the entire process of analysis, debate and collective construction of the document, which contributed to its improvement.

The vice president of the Council of State, Inés María Chapman, said, once the new constitution had been endorsed, a period of intense legislative activity was taking place to update fifty laws and another important group of norms and regulations, among them the Family Code, regulations related to physical planning, water use, foreign investment, private work, the environment and the electoral law itself.

(ACN)

According to the President of the commission, Alina Balseiro, about 7,524,318 citizens over 16 years attended the polls, a figure that will grow on Monday when the CEN offers preliminary results during a press briefing.

The day was quiet and with a massive popular protagonism, traditional scene on the island, said the official, who acknowledged the population for their participation.

The 24,000 polling stations established in Cuba closed at 18:00 local time, and the members of the polling centers opened the ballot boxes to count the votes, a process that is public and hosted thousands of neighbors in the 15 provinces.

Although the details of the referendum will not be known until Monday afternoon, in terms of number of Yes votes, those that reflect the No vote and the annulled ones, media and witnesses present predict a clear support for the Constitution to replace the one in force since 1976.

(Prensa Latina)

On his Twitter account, the Venezuelan head of State described the voting as historic, and noted that ‘it will mark the course of new victories for the Cuban Revolution.’

Likewise, Maduro highlighted the efforts to lead the constitutional process by the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Raul Castro, and President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

For her part, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said at the International Assembly of the Peoples in Caracas on Sunday that with the electoral process, Cuban citizens ratified the consolidation of the socialist model.

More than eight million Cubans were called to exercise their right to free, direct and secret vote in more than 25,340 polling stations nationwide on Sunday, and 81.53 percent of them cast their vote, accounting for 7,524,318 people.

According to preliminary statistics from the Electoral Commission in Cuba, participation in the referendum is 3 percent higher than in the general elections held in 2018.

(Prensa Latina)

Miriam Iluminada Rech, coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution in the 57th precinct in Playa municipality, where President Miguel Diaz-Canel voted just a few hours ago, affirmed that a revolutionary town is the one who is voting on a new Constitution.

Among the motivations of Cubans to attend the democratic event, Rech mentioned the greatness of the Revolution and the values it fosters such as humility and humanism.

‘Because this Revolution as our Commander in Chief, Fidel Castro, said, is of the humble and for the humble and that is us Cubans, a humble but honest people with an impeccable morality’, she said.

In as much, Mara Valdes, neighbor of that municipality, assumed as a right and a duty her participation in the referendum and to support the new Magna Carta.

‘Certainly (the law of laws) is more appropriate to the new times and I think it will benefit us a lot because it is much wider and more inclusive,’ she said.

At the same time, Merida Cano, 75, recalled that in Cuba the text was discussed in each neighborhood, work centers, and the people expressed their criteria, so, she said, that is in the later a duty compliance with what is established in that law.

She also warned that Cuba’s vote for the ratification of the new Constitution represents the support for Venezuela, which is in the sights of the United States.

Cano also stated that Washington dreams on Venezuela´s fall because it considers that the domino effect can defeat the Cuban Revolution, something that it has not been able to do in 60 years.

She also pointed out that the majority of the Cuban people will demonstrate with the vote yes their commitment to the continuity of the socialist project of the country and its solidarity with the Venezuelan Government and people.

This is until the last breath, she concluded.

(Prensa Latina)

The Army general went to an electoral college in Playa municipality in Havana to endorse the constitution approved in December by the National Assembly of Popular Power.

After depositing his ballot, the leader spoke with the pioneers (primary and middle school students) who guarded the polls and with the members of the polling station.

Raul Castro headed the parliamentary commission responsible for drafting the Constitution, which is the result of the contribution of the population, expressed in more than 780,000 proposals, many of them incorporated into the text, which came out of a consultation in which nearly nine million people participated.

(Prensa Latina)

The Valley, almost 60 kilometers west of the provincial capital, is home to the residents of Vallecito and La Bajada in District 49.

They are 433 persons to vote after being guaranteed transportation and insurance, says Felix Armando Ganges, member of the Electoral Commission of the western province of Pinar del Rio.

So many reasons we have to be present here, assure residents in the place totally forgotten before the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.

Ramon Valdes is among them, who narrates to current generations the anxieties experienced before January 1, 1959 by the men and women who inhabited San Antonio Cape and its vicinity.

We are taken into account, our voices enriched the letter of the new constitution we currently supported, he says.

Similar situation is felt in 1, 219 polling stations in this western territory.

Discipline and respect distinguish the day, says Jorge Jesus Cirion, President of the provincial electoral Commission.

A total of 474, 238 Pinar del Río residents must vote on February 24, in which Cuba endorses its constitution.

 (Prensa Latina) 

The National Electoral Commission (CEN), in its last report of the day, described the Constitutional referendum process as positive, recognizing the people’s broad participation.

Participation was massive, said Alina Balseiro Gutiérrez, CEN president, reporting that as of 5:00 pm, 7,524,318 citizens had voted, representing 81.53% of the electorate. This figure is 3% higher that the voter turnout recorded in the second round of the last general elections in March of 2018.

A considerable number of voters were registered during the day including some 200,000 exceptional cases.

At the beginning of the day, registries nationwide included 8,669,714 eligible voters. A total of 24,297 polling stations were opened in 12,513 constituencies, plus 198 special stations, with more than 400,000 persons involved in the process, including electoral authorities, supervisors, collaborators, students, and groups in charge of the tally at different levels.

Díaz-Canel: This is the Constitution we will leave our children and grandchildren, emphasizing the role o

f youth in the all the country’s current efforts.

This Constitution dignifies and upholds the legacy of Fidel and Marti, and of Raul, and strengthens rights.”

Díaz-Canel: This February 24 is day that reaffirms continuity. With a stronger Constitution that dignifies our country, an advanced Constitution. Today is a reaffirmation of our socialist nature.

“The war they wage against us is economic, they try to impact our identity, using even the pettiest things.”

President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez speaks with the press after voting:

Tweet from Radio Rebelde: our President standing in line to exercise his right to vote.

Oscar Silvera, Minister of Justice, “I voted Yes, for the children today guarding the ballot boxes, who are the future of our country.”

Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Rodrigo Malmierca quoted Julio Antonio Mella in his tweet: All futures must be better.”

Comptroller of the Republic Gladys Bejerano Portela, after exercising her right to vote, commented via Twitter, “I vote Yes for my children, my grandchildren, for my family, for my compañeros, for my heroic people and, why not, for the world, because Cuba is the hope of the all who love life.”

First Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa voted for the homeland, the first to do so at polling station No.1, Constituency No. 59 in the Havana municipality of Playa.

After casting his ballot, he commented to the press that the day, “is of extraordinary significance, of an historic nature in terms of continuity.”

He emphasized his conviction that the people in their vast majority would approve the new Constitution.

“We have come to say Yes for our homeland. It is a worthy tribute to our Comanadante en Jefe, to our heroes and martyrs,” he said, adding, “If we can be proud of anything, it is that, once again, we will show the world the solid unity of our people.”

“This 2019,” Valdés Mesa concluded, “we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of our first Constitution, that assures the nation’s sovereignty and independence. We will not renounce continuing the updating of our socio-economic model.”

The first voter to cast a ballot, in the Havana municipality of Cotorro, at polling station No.2, Zone No.3 in the Santa Maria del Rosario neighborhood, was Ana Ivis Estenvez Guerra.

Today February 24, 124 years since the re-initiation of the nation’s independence struggle, in accordance with the law, thousands of Cubans are participating in the construction of a better future and strengthening unity around the Revolution

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, tweeted his support for the new Constitution:

Because it is the Constitution we Cuban men and women made together. Because it guarantees the rights of every one of the nation’s citizens. Because it upholds the dignity of our people. Because it is anti-imperialist.

(Granma)

1. START OF THE REFORM PROCESS

By agreement of the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP), in an extraordinary session held on June 2, 2018, it was agreed to initiate the Constitutional Reform process and approve, as a first step, the creation of a Commission in charge of preparing the proposed Constitution.

The Commission, chaired by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Party, and with the presence of the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and the Second Secretary of the Party, José Ramón Machado Ventura, worked intensely in the drafting of the first version.

2. APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

After several sessions of debate, in July of 2018, deputies approved the proposed Constitution of the Republic, and voted to submit the document to an extensive popular consultation.

3. POPULAR CONSULTATION

The process of popular consultation extended from August 13 to November 15 and mobilized the entire country, even Cubans living abroad had the opportunity to participate.

4. APPROVAL OF THE CONSTITUTION BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

The final draft of the proposed Constitution, discussed and analyzed by deputies and enriched with proposals from the population, was approved, by a roll-call vote, by the National Assembly of People’s Power, during the Second Ordinary Period of Sessions of the IX Legislature. Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the parliament, summoned citizens with the right to vote to a Referendum, on February 24, 2019.

5. APPOINTMENT OF THE NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION AND OTHER ELECTORAL BODIES

Members of the National Electoral Commission, presided by Alina Balseiro Gutiérrez, were appointed December 28, 2018, while provincial, municipal, district and special electoral commissions were named and constituted later.

To carry out the Referendum, electoral authorities received extensive training that allows them, in addition to fulfilling their responsibilities, to explain the significance of the constitutional reform process, as well as the contents of the Magna Carta that is submitted to ratification.

6. TEST RUN

Electoral authorities described the February 17 test run as satisfactory, noting that the all processes functioned well.

7. CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM

The Referendum will take place on February 24 throughout the country. The vote has already taken place abroad, which went according to plan: with transparency and total adherence to the law.

On the importance of these elections, Miguel Diaz-Canel said, at the conclusion of the Second Ordinary Session Period of the Ninth Legislature of the National Assembly of People’s Power:

“On a date as dear to us as February 24, 124 years after the resumption of the independence struggle led by our National Hero José Martí, Cubans of these times, faithful to our tradition of struggle, will go to the polls to approve the Constitution, as an expression of firmness and loyalty to the legacy of Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro, and we will say with our vote: Yes to the Revolution, to the sovereignty and independence of the homeland, to unity. Yes for socialism and for the commitment to our heroes and martyrs over more than 150 years of struggles for freedom.”

8. PROCLAMATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

If the Constitution is ratified by the free and secret vote of the people, it will be proclaimed and will govern, from that moment, the destiny of the country.

(Granma)

This was the explanation recently offered by Dr. Yuri Pérez Martínez, professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Havana’s Law School, when referring to human rights and their guarantees in the Cuban Constitution.

However, these statements were not made, as usual, before his students, but rather, an audience of the Cuban Interfaith Platform, in a meeting that brought together followers of different religions, fraternal associations, and religious institutions established in Cuba.

Beyond rights, the conception of which is extended in the new constitutional text, Pérez spoke about the values that distinguish the Constitution that will be submitted to a popular referendum on February 24.

He spoke of dignity and its roots in Martí’s thought; of solidarity and freedom. He spoke of respect, key to recognizing the rights of others: “Respect is an invitation to dialogue,” he stressed.

That will to dialogue, and commitment to inclusion “of all and for the good of all,” in the new Constitution, was also highlighted by David Prinstein Señorans, first vice president of the Jewish Community of Cuba, a responsibility he has assumed for a decade.

This new text, he noted, “is superior to what we had, and the advances in recognition are visible. From now on, many of the religions present in Cuba will be able to include other elements that help their daily practice. In addition, the section on rights is expanded, which benefits all people, not just the religious.

“Today, many wonder how interfaith dialogue is possible in our country. But in addition to dialogue, we have interfaith action, especially for social welfare. And the basis of this Platform is the will that the Cuban state has had, with its leaders at the forefront, in ensuring interaction among the different religions of Cuba, without distinguishing one from the other.”

Another basic issue, he explained, is that we do not allow any of our different religions to dominate, which is reaffirmed by the declaration in the Constitution of a secular state. “We rely on basic principles that are common in all religions to act in favor of society.”

In addition, he highlighted two strengths of the new Constitution: the massive participation of the people in the consultation process, which gave rise to changes to more than 60% of the draft text; and the possibility also offered by the referendum for the people to have the last word. “Without a doubt, we are all included in the future of the country for many years.”

Meanwhile, Manuel Delgado Hernández, pastor of the Fraternity of Baptist Churches of Cuba and coordinator of the Council of Churches in Mayabeque, underlined the importance of recognizing Cuba as a secular state. “That was the spirit for a long time, and it means that no church is recognized over another, and that between both parties, that is, between the state and religious institutions, there must be respect, which in fact transcends tolerance.”

In his opinion, “No Constitution can satisfy all the individual interests of each person, rather it is a commitment to that which implies greater well-being for all. And each Constitution must mean an advance compared to the previous one, as in this case.

“There are important elements, such as respect for individual rights, and for people to be recognized whatever their beliefs. In our religion, we believe in freedom of conscience, because we understand that God made man free to believe or not. That spirit of inclusion and recognition of all, whether based on faith or not, we appreciate in our Constitution.”

The pastor also praised the popular consultation process, noting that from this modifications arose in regard to churches, such as the recognition of their properties, for example, included in the new clause f) of Article 22.

Delgado also noted other aspects of the text that stand out, such as the principle of non-discrimination, according to Article 42. “We accompany all people, from the church, regardless of their social background,” he stressed.

“A Constitution like that which will be submitted for approval is an ideal platform for our work, because our Order is subordinated to the legislation of the country where it is present and participates in the development of society. If Cuba didn’t have a legal system such as it does, this fraternity would not be here.”

This was the simple explanation offered by Esteban Lázaro Aquino Nieto, president of the Rosicrucian Order AMORC National Coordination Committee for Cuba, regarding the importance of the new constitutional text.

“Without singling out any particular article or content, I totally approve our Magna Carta. And if I had to highlight a particular value present in the Constitution, I would lean toward respect. We have as a motto the broadest tolerance in the strictest independence, but respect covers a broader concept.”

According to Aquino, this fraternity, present in more than a hundred countries, bases its principles on peace and a profound humanism, which invariably leads to human development in all spheres. The Rosicrucian Order is multi-religious, multiracial, and professes non-discrimination and that, he pointed out, is a statement of respect.

Meanwhile, Josefa Alfonso Sarría, a member of the Path of Light and Love Society, belonging to the Spiritist Federation of Havana, emphasized the way in which the new Constitution favors unity and fraternity among all Cubans.

“We must be genuine; we must accept ourselves as we are, because acceptance is a principle of happiness. And that will to assimilate the diverse, stands out in the Constitution. It’s about coming closer together as a society, believers and non-believers,” the psychiatrist at Calixto García Hospital emphasized.

In the midst of the heterogeneity of beliefs in Cuba, the Constitution, with its renewed content, was a unifying element as, according to Reverend Juan Ramón de la Paz Cerezo, representative of the Episcopal Church of Cuba, our actions should lead us toward “unity, the harmony, and peace of the homeland, which we all love, and are committed to its progress.”

(Granma)

Lazo added that this is a Constitution for and by the people, and a product of agreements reached at Party congresses, as envisioned in the Guidelines for Social and Economic Policy and the Conceptualization of Cuba’s model.
The new Carta Magna establishes the legal basis for the country’s development and embodies Fidel´s concept of Revolution, he noted, defending social justice, solidarity, and the countrys independence, while reflecting 150 years of struggle that cannot be betrayed.

In his comments, during an extraordinary session of the Municipal Assembly of People’s Power, he called for the improvement of government structures and delegates’ work; rational use of resources; maintaining close ties with the population and their problems, while avoiding bureaucratic practices; and further reducing imports while increasing exports.

He also congratulated Livan Fuentes Álvarez, elected as President of the Isle of Youth’s Assembly of People’s Power, and Mariolis Pérez Domínguez, as Vice President.

(Granma)