Cuban Electoral Authorities Ensure that Law Is Observed
The National Electoral Commission (CEN) has the legal mandate to ensure that law is observed and to guarantee that Cuban citizens' right to vote with privacy and transparency is respected, said CEN member Tomas Amaran.
In an interview with Prensa Latina on the February 3 election to choose 612 deputies to the Cuban Parliament and nearly 1,270 delegates to the People's Power provincial assemblies, Amaran noted the importance of doing a good work at polling stations, because they are in direct contact with voters.
For that reason, he added, we make emphasis on the preparation of authorities at polling stations and we have designed a plan that also involves authorities at other levels. We even distributed a DVD nationwide containing a seminar taught by CEN experts.
According to Amaran, polling stations must guarantee all facilities for citizens to exercise their right to vote, including preparing the site, have two ballot boxes (one to vote for lawmakers and the other for the provincial delegates) and ensure privacy in the cubicles.
A transcendental issue is that authorities at polling stations must inform voters about how to cast their vote, said Amaran, because it is different from the way it was done in the municipal election in October and November 2012, when 14,537 council people were elected.
While on that occasion voters cast their vote for one of the candidates on the ballot, now they can elect all of them or some of them selectively: that is the citizens' option, their right, and it must be respected, he stressed.
In that regard, authorities must clarify any doubts in a precise manner to prevent misunderstandings or a voter from thinking that they are trying to influence the voting, he pointed out.
"We are working on each detail to comply with electoral ethics, with the rigor established by law, so that citizens can exercise their right to vote freely," he stressed.
Amaran noted that authorities expect citizens (more than eight million people have been called to vote) will cast their vote with discipline and enthusiasm, as it is traditional for a people accustomed to that kind of process.
He added that they are working to guarantee that people will vote fast, without interference, so that they do not have to wait for a long time at the polling stations.
Precisely, in order to prevent long lines, our Electoral Law establishes that polling stations cannot have more than 500 voters, so there are 29,942 electoral colleges nationwide, Amaran explained.
In an interview with Prensa Latina on the February 3 election to choose 612 deputies to the Cuban Parliament and nearly 1,270 delegates to the People's Power provincial assemblies, Amaran noted the importance of doing a good work at polling stations, because they are in direct contact with voters.
For that reason, he added, we make emphasis on the preparation of authorities at polling stations and we have designed a plan that also involves authorities at other levels. We even distributed a DVD nationwide containing a seminar taught by CEN experts.
According to Amaran, polling stations must guarantee all facilities for citizens to exercise their right to vote, including preparing the site, have two ballot boxes (one to vote for lawmakers and the other for the provincial delegates) and ensure privacy in the cubicles.
A transcendental issue is that authorities at polling stations must inform voters about how to cast their vote, said Amaran, because it is different from the way it was done in the municipal election in October and November 2012, when 14,537 council people were elected.
While on that occasion voters cast their vote for one of the candidates on the ballot, now they can elect all of them or some of them selectively: that is the citizens' option, their right, and it must be respected, he stressed.
In that regard, authorities must clarify any doubts in a precise manner to prevent misunderstandings or a voter from thinking that they are trying to influence the voting, he pointed out.
"We are working on each detail to comply with electoral ethics, with the rigor established by law, so that citizens can exercise their right to vote freely," he stressed.
Amaran noted that authorities expect citizens (more than eight million people have been called to vote) will cast their vote with discipline and enthusiasm, as it is traditional for a people accustomed to that kind of process.
He added that they are working to guarantee that people will vote fast, without interference, so that they do not have to wait for a long time at the polling stations.
Precisely, in order to prevent long lines, our Electoral Law establishes that polling stations cannot have more than 500 voters, so there are 29,942 electoral colleges nationwide, Amaran explained.
Source:
Prensa Latina
Date:
22/01/2013