Cuban parliamentary election, 2008

Cuba
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Cuba
Constitution National Assembly of People's Power President: E. Lazo Hernández Council of State President (list): Raúl Castro Vice Presidents M. Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (first) G. M. Bejerano Portela (second) Council of Ministers President of the Council (list): Raúl Castro People's Supreme Court President (Chief Justice): R. Remigio Ferro Political parties Communist Party of Cuba First Secretary: Raúl Castro Recent elections Parliamentary: 2003 2008 2013 2018 Administrative divisions Provinces Municipalities Committees for the Defense of the Revolution Opposition Human rights Foreign relations
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A parliamentary election to the National Assembly of People's Power was held in Cuba on 20 January 2008.^[1] According to the Cuban electoral system, one candidate was nominated for each of the 614 seats in the Assembly, and candidates were elected if they received at least 50% of the vote. The candidates are otherwise proposed by nominating assemblies, which comprise representatives of workers, youth, women, students and farmers as well as members of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, after initial mass meetings soliciting a first list of names. The final list of candidates is drawn up by the National Candidature Commission taking into account criteria such as candidates' merit, patriotism, ethical values and revolutionary history.^[2][3]

The date of the election was announced on 20 November 2007.^[1] It was considered uncertain whether the ailing Fidel Castro would run for the Assembly, which he had to do in order to continue as President; it emerged in early December that he had been nominated for a seat. Since his illness began in 2006, Raúl Castro had been acting President.^[4]

María Esther Reus, the President of the National Electoral Commission and Minister of Justice, announced the results of the election on 24 January 2008. Turnout in the election was placed at 96.89%, with 8,231,365 voters participating; 95.24% of the votes cast (7,839,358) were valid. 91% of voters (7,125,752) cast a united ballot for all candidates, while 9% (713,606) chose to vote only for certain candidates. Of the invalid votes, 3.73% (306,791) were blank and 1.04% (85,216) were spoiled. The newly elected Assembly met for the first time on 24 February.^[5]

Raúl Castro was re-elected from the 2nd Eastern Front with 99.37% of the vote and Fidel Castro was re-elected from the 7th District of Santiago de Cuba with 98.26% of the vote.^[6] Vice-President Carlos Lage and President of the Assembly Ricardo Alarcón respectively won their seats with 92.40% and 93.92% of the vote.^[7]

On 24 February 2008, the National Assembly began sitting for its new term, and Raúl Castro was elected President Alarcón was elected as President of the National Assembly, while Jaime Crombet Hernández Vaquero was elected as its Vice-President and Miriam Brito was elected as its Secretary.^[8]

See also

• Liaena Hernandez Martínez

References

Elections and referendums in Cuba Parliamentary elections 1900 1901 1904 1905 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1936 1938 1939 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1954 1956 1976 1981 1986 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 Presidential elections 1901 1905 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1936 1940 1944 1948 1954 1958 Local elections 1900 1976 1979 1981 1984 1986 1989 1992 1995 1997 2000 2002 2005 2007 2010 2012 2015 2017 Referendums 1976