Havana, Cuba, April 16, 2016.- The Legal Information Center 'Cubalex', together with the Cuban Youth Dialogue Table and the Pedro Luis Boitel Abraham Party for Democracy, the three Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Cuba, taking advantage of the Celebration of the VII Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), presented on Thursday, April 14, three key proposals for reform to the Cuban Electoral System (SEC) to Engineer Lázara Mercedes López Acea, First Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the PCC in Havana, Member of the Central Committee, Political Bureau and Vice President of the Council of State.
Our key proposals for SEC reform seek to:
- An orderly political opening that leads us to a peaceful transition.
- To guarantee the free exercise of the rights of Cuban citizens to elect and be elected.
- To generate trust and guarantee the political rights of citizens, as well as the integrity and transparency of elections.
In the letter, we requested that López Acea, in her capacity as a Member of the Political Bureau, forward these proposals to the prestigious and crucial gathering of Cuban communists, so that they may be considered, debated, discussed, and taken into account when formulating recommendations for the National Assembly of People's Power and developing the short-, medium-, and long-term strategy for our nation, with all and for the good of all Cubans. We also requested that, in her capacity as Deputy and Vice President of the Council of State, she forward our proposals to parliament.
Cubalex invites civil society organizations and all Cuban citizens interested in participating in public policy formulation, specifically in the electoral reform process initiated by the PCC at its 7th Congress, to follow and support us in this process by monitoring the reception of these three proposals by national authorities. We also offer our advisory, technical assistance, and training services to Cuban civil society organizations that require them.
We request the support of the international community because our government refuses to listen to us or engage in dialogue on this issue. To every proposal from civil society, the government responds with more repression, stigmatization, and discrimination. We need your help to open channels of communication with the authorities; we need mediation and dialogue. We need support to achieve what all Cubans undoubtedly want: a peaceful transition to a democratic, pluralistic, just, and inclusive regime.
We insist on reminding the Cuban State, and the PCC as its superior leading force, that on May 1, 2013, it submitted to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and constructively accepted and voluntarily committed to adopting positive measures to promote the effective participation of non-governmental organizations and civil society institutions in the adoption of legislation to promote human rights.
The proposals were presented together with the Electoral Legislation Reform Matrix, a document that specifies which legal norms should be modified or eliminated, as well as the content that should be added for the implementation of our proposals.
About Cubalex
The Cubalex Legal Information Center is headquartered in Havana, Cuba. We are a non-profit organization comprised of lawyers and human rights activists. Our mission is to promote and defend human rights in Cuba, achieve the rule of law, and democratize Cuban society.
We offer free legal advice on housing legalization, immigration procedures, inheritance, labor matters, criminal review processes, constitutional procedures, and the defense of civil and political rights, both nationally and internationally, to Cuban citizens or foreigners who request it.
For any questions, you can contact us via email. [email protected] or by phone at (+53) 7-647-2216 or (+53) 5-241-5948
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