By Brian Carnell

Friday, June 21, 2002

First Vietnam's ruling party had stunning success at the ballot box and now Cuba's one-party communist system has seen an outpouring of support for Fidel Castro that politicians in liberal democracies could only hope for.

On June 13, Castro announced a nationwide signature drive for a petition to amend Cuba's constitution. The amendment would declare as "untouchable" the Cuban economic and political system.

Only a few days later, on June 18, the Cuban government claimed that 99 percent of all of Cuba's registered voters had signed the petition thanks to the hard work of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution which gathered signatures throughout Cuba.

Cuban parliament president Ricardo Alarcon accepted the petitions saying that the parliament would take up the bill in July. Alarcon added that, "Only socialism offers the possibility of a real democracy; today is a historic day."

Sources:

Cubans back socialism, Castro says. Associated Press, June 18, 2002.

Parliament Accepts Cuban Signatures. Associated Press, June 20, 2002.

Castro seeks signatures to preserve his system. Reuters, June 14, 2002.

Discuss (23 Replies) | Printer Friendly