Cuban legislative election, 2008
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A parliamentary election to the National Assembly of People's Power was held in Cuba on 20 January 2008.[1] According to the Cuban electoral system, one candidate was nominated for each of the 614 seats in the Assembly, and candidates were elected if they received at least 50% of the vote.
The date of the election was announced on 20 November 2007.[1] It was considered uncertain whether the ailing Fidel Castro would run for the Assembly, which he had to do in order to continue as President; it emerged in early December that he had been nominated for a seat. Since his illness began in 2006, Raul Castro has been acting President.[2]
María Esther Reus, the President of the National Electoral Commission and Minister of Justice, announced the results of the election on 24 January 2008. Turnout in the election was placed at 96.89%, with 8,231,365 voters participating; 95.24% of the votes cast (7,839,358) were valid. 91% of voters (7,125,752) cast a united ballot for all candidates, while 9% (713,606) chose to vote only for certain candidates. Of the invalid votes, 3.73% (306,791) were blank and 1.04% (85,216) were spoiled. The newly elected Assembly is scheduled to meet for the first time on 24 February.[3]
Raul Castro was re-elected from the 2nd Eastern Front with 99.37% of the vote and Fidel Castro was re-elected from the 7th District of Santiago de Cuba with 98.26% of the vote. Vice-President Carlos Lage and President of the Assembly Ricardo Alarcon respectively won their seats with 92.40% and 93.92% of the vote.[4]
| Members | Seats |
|---|---|
| 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, 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. [1] [2] | 614 |
| Total elected | 614 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Cuba to hold provincial, national elections in January", Xinhua (People's Daily Online), 21 November 2007.
- ^ "Castro nominated for Cuban seat", BBC News, 2 December 2007.
- ^ Maria Julia Mayoral, "Official results of January 20 elections", Granma.cu, 31 January 2008.
- ^ "Cubans reelect Fidel Castro as deputy", Xinhua (People's Daily Online), 31 January 2008.
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