Cuba Ready for Jan 20 Elections

Havana, Jan 18 (Prensa Latina) Cuba is ready for over 8.4 million citizens to elect 1,202 delegates for the provincial assemblies and 614 deputies for the Parliament January 20 for a five-year term.

Electoral authorities stated that all technological mechanisms, material resources and staff are ready to guarantee quality and total transparency in these elections.

Over 700 computers and 21,000 telecommunication services are prepared to facilitate data transmission and electoral results, as well as the necessary communication through radio and television.

The participation of each voter where they are registered and the way to vote are elements to decide the success of the second stage of general elections in the island, where there will be over 38,000 polling stations, sources reported.

All the documentation, lists of voters and voting papers are in the polling sites, while authorities insist that only passengers in transit, workers indispensable of the production and services, and in-hospital patients can vote out of their demarcation.

The united vote was officially called by leadership of civil society organizations, as an expression of unity and willingness to defend the Revolution, independency and sovereignty of the Cubans.

The call also responds that all elected have sufficient merits to represent people in the maximum legislative bodies, with independency in the place where they were nominated.

The candidatures are made up of simple and outstanding workers, figures, prominent academics, sportspeople, scientists, leaders, journalists, representatives from religious associations and combatants from armed organizations.

After January 20, the members of the Parliament will elect 31 members for the Council of State and they, in their first meeting, will choose president, first vice president, five vice presidents and secretary of that Peoples' Power body.

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