Cubans Ready for Runoff in Municipalities

Cuban electoral authorities get ready for the municipal runoff, to be held on November 4 in all provinces, except Santiago de Cuba and Holguin, the regions hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy.

In remarks to Prensa Latina, National Electoral Commission (CEN) member Juan Mendoza stated that local authorities are responsible for ensuring documents, ballots and the conditions at the polling stations, as some of them could have been affected with the storm.

The runoff was first scheduled nationwide for October 28, but it was postponed one week due to the serious damage caused by Sandy after passing through the eastern provinces on October 25.

After some analyses made by the CEN, most of the provinces are in condition to hold the election, because the damage was not as serious as in Santiago de Cuba and Holguin, located in the eastern part of the country, Mendoza said.

Voting in Holguin is scheduled for November 11, whereas the date of Santiago de Cuba will be announced later.

According to Mendoza, the municipal runoff will be held only with the two most voted candidates in each constituency and those who were tied, as the Electoral Law establishes.

About 960,000 Cubans are being called to the polls in all 3,210 polling stations to elect 1,160 delegates. They will join 13,127 delegates already elected in the first round on October 21.

The CEN member noted that after the voting is completed, all municipal assemblies must be constituted 21 days later.

After this step, the election to choose the delegates to the provincial assemblies and the deputies to the Parliament will begin.