Voter turnout expected to top 8 million in Cuba's sunday General Elections
Campaign News | Friday, 18 January 2008
Cuban News Agency
More than 8.4 million Cubans are expected to participate in the January 20 general elections to elect the delegates to provincial assemblies and the members of the National Assembly (Parliament), said the National Electoral Commission (CEN)President
A dynamic test run last Sunday across the island showed that the infrastructure is in place and ready for the elections to take place in all 38,353 electoral colleges of the country, said Reus.
There are 614 candidates running for Parliament, of which 46.3 percent were elected by local communities, 99 percent have high school diplomas or higher, 63.22 percent are first time nominees, and 56 percent of the candidates were born after 1959.
Women candidates to Parliament MAKE UP 43.16 percent, meaning that Cuba would rank third in the world regarding women deputies in Parliament, if all female candidates are elected.
The Cuban people will also elect 1,201 delegates to provincial assemblies for a five-year term. Of the nominees, 834 are new proposals, and 73.1 percent have university degrees.
The upcoming general elections will be held based on the premise stated by Cuban National Hero Jose Marti "A lot can be done if we stick Together," reiterated in President Fidel Castro's recent statement that the slate vote "expresses the Cuban people's unity of action."
http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/2008/0118votodomingo.htm
For more information on Cuban elections go to:
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/faq.asp
Read Cubans head to polling booths at:
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/news.asp?ItemID=1240
Or download Cuban article on their electoral system at:
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/faqdocs/HowDoesTheCubanParliamentWork.pdf
