National Assembly of People's Power

The National Assembly of People's Power (Spanish: Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) is the supreme organ of power of the Republic of Cuba. It is the only branch of government in the state, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs are subservient to it. It is currently composed of 470 representatives who are elected from multi-member electoral districts for a term of five years called consejos populares. The current President of the Assembly is Esteban Lazo Hernández. The Assembly only meets twice a year, with the 31-member Council of State exercising legislative power throughout the rest of the year. The most recent elections were held on 26 March 2023. The number of deputies was reduced from 605 to 470 for the 2023 election.

National Assembly of People's Power

Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular
10th Legislature
Type
Type
History
Founded2 December 1976 (1976-12-02)
Preceded byCongress of Cuba
Leadership
Esteban Lazo Hernández
since 24 February 2013
Vice president
Ana María Marí Machado
since 2013
Structure
Seats470
Political groups
Communist Party of Cuba and its affiliates
  •   Communist Party of Cuba (442)
  •   Independents (28)
Elections
Two-round system
Last election
26 March 2023
Next election
2028
Meeting place
El Capitolio, Havana
Website
www.parlamentocubano.gob.cu

Liberal democracy is not practiced in Assembly elections in post-1959 revolutionary Cuba because the ruling Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) government does not permit competitive elections. Cuba is a one-party state, with the PCC being described as the "superior driving force of the society and the state" in the Constitution of Cuba, and all other political parties are illegal. There is only one candidate for each seat in the Assembly, and all candidates are nominated by committees that are firmly controlled by the PCC. Voters can either select individual candidates on their ballot, select every candidate, or leave every question blank, but voters have no option to vote against candidates. During the 2013 elections, around 80% of voters selected every candidate for the Assembly on their ballot, while 4.6% of voters submitted a blank ballot; no candidate for the Assembly has ever lost an election in Cuban history.

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