The authorities of the Cuban National Electoral Commission (CEN) assure that the voting system in the country has notable strengths, as evidenced by the preparations under way today for the forthcoming general elections.

‘The Cuban electoral process has many elements that distinguish it, and recognizing them is a source of pride,’ stated the CEN vice president Tomás Amarán during a press conference.

According to the official, one of the most important issues is the participation of citizens in the direction of the process.

Amarán also mentioned the way in which candidates are proposed and nominated: directly by the people or mass organizations without mediation in the process of individual propaganda, campaigns or economic interest.

‘It is significant that there are no political parties imposing candidates. Here these are the same a worker, a self-employed worker, an artist or an athlete, a scientist, a soldier, a doctor or an academic, ‘he said.

All of them -he added- appear at work centers, neighborhoods and communities, where they exchange criteria with citizens.

In addition, the candidates are on equal terms and no one can influence the voters’ decision, even the members of the polling stations are instructed to act with extreme care so that voters do not interpret any favoritism during the explanation of the procedure, he stressed.

‘The strengths of our process are many, but, of course, the massive and active participation of the people in each phase, transparency and total adherence to the law stand out,’ commented Amarán.

Although the frequent checking and verification carried out by the National Electoral Commission indicate organizational difficulties, in Cuba there is no evidence of illicit or other facts that make one doubt of the quality of the elections, the authority concluded.

(Prensa Latina)