Elections set to take place March 11, during which deputies to the National Assembly of People’s Power and delegates to provincial assemblies will be chosen, will be another demonstration of the Cuban people’s commitment to the Revolution, noted José Ramón Machado Ventura, Second Party Secretary, during a visit to communities in Guantánamo province.
According to information published by newspaper Venceremos, Machado Ventura, also a member of the Party Political Bureau and a vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, stated that “The aim of these exchanges is to strengthen ties with voters. We haven’t come to promise solutions; because the Revolution is doing everything it can for the people, just as it has done since 1959, under the teaching and guidance of Fidel.”
These meetings between candidates and voters are a fundamental part of this second phase of the election process, which will also see a dynamic test conducted on March 4.
With this exercise, explained Tomás Amarán Díaz, vice president of the National Electoral Commission (CEN), speaking to the press, the electoral mechanisms and structures are put into practice in order avoid any issues on election day.
He went on to note that, as in the first stage, the test will take place in two phases. The first from 7:00am through 8:30am, during which the resources, control mechanisms, personnel, means of communication, computer systems and transport will be verified. Everything will be tested; but the voters and elementary school students who guard the ballot boxes won’t participate, stated the Cuban official.
The second phase, he explained, will see the participation of all the different levels of the electoral structures with the over 188,000 electoral authorities in the country holding a “dress rehearsal” as it were. Each polling station will have 50 voting slips with words representing the names of the candidates and possible situations will be simulated.
Meanwhile, the week prior to elections will be dedicated to gradually correcting the problems identified in each polling station during the dynamic test, he explained.
Amarán Díaz went on to note that “the updating of the electoral roll has been completed as well as that of all the structures, the ballots have been made, of which there will be two in these elections: one green for deputies and one white for delegates. Meanwhile, work is underway to train ballot collectors.”
What is more, the number of polling stations was updated, with 24,471 confirmed thus far; 143 of which are special stations, that is to say, those that will be set up in terminals, and hospitals etc., to allow those unable to vote in their local polling station to do so here, while 92 electoral districts will be participating in this second stage.
According to the CEN vice president, “Just like previous dynamic tests, this will be a process with quality, discipline, organization, transparency and the professionalism which has always characterized electoral authorities.”