Cuba calls elections

Cuba calls elections
July 10 2007 at 03:18PM

Havana - Cuba's interim leader Raul Castro has scheduled elections
without making clear whether his convalescing brother Fidel Castro will
remain officially in the political hierarchy, or whether the communist
regime's long-time number two will be at its helm for good.

Raul Castro, 76, has led Cuba since Fidel Castro, 80, underwent
intestinal surgery almost one year ago.

The famously bearded revolutionary, a perpetual thorn in the side of the
United States, has not appeared in public since. But he has regained
weight he lost while ill, and has taken up writing commentaries in
state-run media.

On Monday, Raul Castro set the date for local (city and town) general
elections as October 21 with a second round October 28. He also said
elections to the national legislature - the National Assembly of the
People's Power - held once every five years, would be held at a date to
be announced.

The elected legislature selects the 31 members of the Council of State,
which in turn chooses Cuba's president and chief of state. Fidel Castro
rose to power in Cuba on January 1, 1959; he has led the Council of
State since 1976.

Cuba has not said when or whether Fidel Castro, who turns 81 in August,
might return to the role he had before falling ill.

In the early months of his illness, Cuban officials insisted he would be
back in his leadership position.

But as time has passed and Raul Castro has assumed control of daily
government operations, Cuban authorities have stopped insisting, and now
allow that a different role may be in the works.

Last March 15, National Assembly speaker Ricardo Alarcon did say Fidel
Castro was recovering, and that he expected Fidel would be able to
reelected in 2008.

Cuba maintains it has a democratic system
Still, Cuba has not indicated now whether Fidel would remain as the
country's official leader.

Whether Cuba is moving from an unofficially to an officially post-Fidel
era should emerge from the electoral process started on Monday. It
concludes in 2008 with Fidel Castro either staying on, or Cuba
officially cementing in place a transition already up and running, in
fresh defiance of the United States, which has always insisted communist
Cuba's regime would not outlast Fidel Castro.

Human rights advocates however argue that it has prisoners of
conscience, outlaws other political parties, and denies freedoms such as
assembly and access to information. Neighborhood watch groups help
repress dissent, they say.

Fidel and Raul Castro are the first and second secretaries of the Cuban
Communist Party. As the only legal party, it does not officially name
candidates for the elections process. - Sapa-AFP

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