National Assembly of People's Power

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National Assembly of People's Power

Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular
10th Legislature
President
Esteban Lazo Hernández
since 24 February 2013
Vice president
Structure
Seats470
Political groups
Communist Party of Cuba and its affiliates
Elections
El Capitolio, Havana
Website
www.parlamentocubano.gob.cu

The National Assembly of People's Power (

supreme organ of power of the Republic of Cuba. It is the only branch of government in the state, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs are subservient to it. It is currently composed of 470 representatives who are elected from multi-member electoral districts for a term of five years called consejos populares. The current President of the Assembly is Esteban Lazo Hernández. The Assembly only meets twice a year, with the 31-member Council of State exercising legislative power throughout the rest of the year.[2] The most recent elections were held on 26 March 2023. The number of deputies was reduced from 605 to 470 for the 2023 election.[3]

Liberal democracy is not practiced in Assembly elections in post-1959 revolutionary Cuba because the ruling Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) government does not permit competitive elections.[4][5] Cuba is a one-party state, with the PCC being described as the "superior driving force of the society and the state" in the Constitution of Cuba, and all other political parties are illegal.[5] There is only one candidate for each seat in the Assembly, and all candidates are nominated by committees that are firmly controlled by the PCC.[6][7] Voters can either select individual candidates on their ballot, select every candidate, or leave every question blank, but voters have no option to vote against candidates.[8][9] During the 2013 elections, around 80% of voters selected every candidate for the Assembly on their ballot, while 4.6% of voters submitted a blank ballot; no candidate for the Assembly has ever lost an election in Cuban history.[10]

Overview

The Assembly is a

unicameral (one-chamber) parliament and the only body in Cuba that is vested with both constituent and legislative authority (although the government may pass decrees
that have the force of law). It holds two regular sessions a year, which are public unless the Assembly itself votes to hold them behind closed doors for reasons of state. It has permanent commissions to look after issues of legislative interest at times when the Assembly is not in session.

Under the

Judicial Affairs
, and Administration.

History

During the existence of the

El Capitolio
from 1929 to 1959.

The Assembly originated from the nationwide elections held in 1976 following the ratification of the

constitutional referendum
on 14 February 1976, empowered the National Assembly as the supreme body of State power.

Elections

See main article: Elections in Cuba

The assembly representatives are elected from each district across Cuba every five years. Half of the candidates are nominated at public meetings before gaining approval from electoral committees, while the other half are nominated by public solidarity organizations (such as

trade unions, farmers' organizations, and students' unions
).

In keeping with the provisions of the Constitution, the Assembly itself elects the 31 members of the Council of State; their terms expire when a new Assembly is elected. The assembly elects the President and Vice President of the Republic, and also the Secretary of the Council of State, who must report to the National Assembly on all its work and tasks. It also elects the Prime Minister and the members of the

Supreme Court
, and the Attorney General's Office of Cuba.

In concordance with the 2018-19 amendments to the Constitution, by right the President of the National Assembly is president of the Council of State ex officio, with the first vice president of the Council exercising his or her duties if absent. If absent from the duties of the presidency of the Assembly, the Vice President of the National Assembly serves the office.

Composition

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.[11][12]

Legislatures

Legislature Years President Vice president Secretary
I Legislature 1976–1981
Blas Roca Calderío
Raúl Roa
José Arañaburu García
II Legislature 1981–1986 Flavio Bravo Pardo Jorge Lezcano Pérez
III Legislature 1986–1993 Flavio Bravo Pardo (1986–d. 1987)
Severo Aguirre del Cristo (1987–d. 1990)
Juan Escalona Reguera (1990–1993)
Severo Aguirre del Cristo (1986–d. 1990)
Zoila Benitez de Mendoza (1990–1993)
Ernesto Suárez Méndez
IV Legislature 1993–1998 Ricardo Alarcón Jaime Crombet Hernández-Baquero
V Legislature 1998–2003
VI Legislature
2003–2008
VII Legislature 2008–2013 Jaime Crombet Hernández-Baquero (2008–2012)
Ana María Marí Machado (2012–2013)
Miriam Brito Saroca
VIII Legislature 2013–2018 Esteban Lazo Hernández Ana María Marí Machado
IX Legislature 2018–2023 Homero Acosta Álvarez

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Candidates for Cuba's parliamentary elections are nominated and supported by their local Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. Municipal assemblies then create a final list of candidates from the nominations and submit it to the National Candidacy Commission, which approves or rejects candidates based on criteria set by the Communist Party of Cuba.[1]

References

  1. . Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  2. ^ Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, 1976, Article 89: "The Council of State is the body of the National Assembly of People's Power that represents it in the period between sessions, puts its resolutions into effect and complies with all the other duties assigned by the Constitution. It is collegiate and for national and international purposes it is the highest representative of the Cuban state."
  3. ^ "Cuba: Freedom in the World 2021 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  4. ^ Multiple sources:
  5. ^ a b "Cuba: Freedom in the World 2021 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  6. S2CID 159138096
    .
  7. .
  8. .
  9. .
  10. .
  11. ^ CUBA, Asamblea nacional del Poder popular (National Assembly of the People's Power), Electoral system IPU PARLINE database
  12. ^ Elections and Events 1991-2001 Archived 22 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine UCSD Libraries

External links