3.2.
Social welfare and the high level of participation in social projects
The lifestyles in Cuba were significantly better in the 1950s in terms of material goods, but even for the middle classes who enjoyed these goods there was a sense of insecurity and the costs of living were constantly increasing (Pérez, 2006). The work conditions also changed with the revolution. According to Galeano (1971) with the Agrarian Reform the economy started to diversify and the workers started to be active the whole year and not only during 5 months as before. In the same way, Moore (2006) acknowledges the improvement of professional opportunities for women, and the creation of many cultural institutions since 1959. In addition, the achievements of the revolution are evidenced in international sports competitions12. On the other hand, Moore (2006) argues that there have been many losses during the revolution: more than 10% of population has left the country, the living standards, the independent press and the right of citizens to “elect national leaders who do not belong to the Communist Party” (p.81). However, whether these losses are facts or not can be largely discussed, considering all the factors involved. For instance, in terms of the national elections, the Cuban Constitution should be examined before. 3.3.
The elections and the Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular13 (ANPP)
According to the Cuban Constitution (CC), the ANPP -or in other words, the Cuban Parliament- is the “supreme organ of the state” (art.69) and is elected for a period of 5 years (art.72). It's constituted by more than 600 hundred deputies who don't have any special privilege or economical benefits (art.82). The ANPP elects among its members the State Council and the President of the Cuban Republic (art.74). According to the ONE the elections have had historical quorums of more than 95 percent (ONE, 2010). “The vote is free” (CC, art.131) and “the Communist Party cannot propose, nominate nor promote candidates”, it’s the people themselves who promotes the candidates in the public assemblies (Law N°72, 1992). “The popular masses control the activity of the state organs”(art.68,1) and all the elected candidates “can be revoked at any time (i.e., deputies, State Council, etc.)”(art.68,2). The Electoral Law also establishes that the candidates cannot have electoral campaigns, for assuring no discrimination, no offenses and no millionaire expenses in the process. It is mainly because of the way of electing the Cuban President together with the existence of a
12 For instance, in the Olympic games, Cuba has been since 1976 one of the top 15 countries with more olympic medals. (NY Times, 2008) 13 National Assembly of People's Power
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