338,900 Cuban Youth Get Ready to Vote for the First Time next Month

338,900 Cuban Youth Get Ready to Vote for the First Time next Month
Fecha de publicación: 
4 September 2017
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The voting age on the island is 16 and young people can also stand as candidates as long as they have obtained an adequate level of education

More than 338,000 young people are preparing to cast their votes for the first time in Cuba's local elections next month.

The voting age on the island is 16 and youth can also become candidates as long as they have obtained an adequate level of education.

The electoral process launches on Monday, with the nomination of candidates for the Popular Power Municipal Assemblies.

Electoral authorities will observe the nominations, 20 percent of whom are under the age of 35, according to a report in Juventud Rebelde.

The National Electoral Commission, NEC, Secretary Maria Esther Bacallao said that Sept. 4 will host 168 assemblies, “one in each municipality so they may test the experience of the rest.”

Cuba will hold 5,425 assemblies in the first week of September, 19,268 in the second week and 17,914 in the third. The last week will host the remaining 6.4 percent.

Elected municipal representatives will serve terms of 2.5 years. A second round will follow on October 29 for those districts in which no candidate has received 50 percent or more votes.

The results of October’s elections will decide most candidates for the next provincial elections and general elections. Although no date has been set for general elections, candidates to the National Assembly are selected from the already-elected municipal assembly representatives and provincial deputies through the NEC.

The remaining national candidates are chosen from lists submitted by popular organizations and unions in the country.

Representatives to the National Assembly are voted in for five-year terms and the body is comprised of 612 representatives from 168 municipalities. These representatives are then responsible for ratifying the new president as the end of the incumbent Raul Castro’s term in office approaches in 2018.

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