Cuba: Authorities Being Trained for General Elections

The members of polling stations and other authorities in charge of the February 3 general elections in Cuba are prioritizing their training for the polls, the National Electoral Commission (CEN) reported.

According to Caridad Alvarez, spokesperson for that entity, the upcoming elections are different from those which occurred in late 2012. This time, voters will elect 14,537 councilors or delegates to the municipal assemblies of People’s Power, requiring specific training.

We have two ballots instead of one, for casting free, equal and secret votes to choose separately 612 members of Parliament and 1,269 delegates to the provincial assemblies, Alvarez said on a morning television morning show.

Alvarez said that a dynamic test (mock election) will be held on Sunday, Jan. 27, to check conditions ahead of voting, with an electoral roll of about 8,500,000 citizens, who are automatically eligible to register to vote once they reach the age of 16.

On the 27th, more than 29,000 polling stations will open. The objective is to verify authorities’ training and mastery of the necessary documentation for the general elections, she said.

The exercise will check the availability of two polls, the media, and voters’ lists, Alvarez said.

Regarding the coming vote, Granma newspaper reported today that about 612 candidates for the Parliament and 1,269 for the provincial assemblies of People’s Power will continue their tours of workplaces, schools and other facilities of the country, to talk with voters.