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Politics of Cuba take place within a framework of a Socialist Republic . Cuba is constitutionally defined as a "socialist state guided by the principles of José Martí , and the political ideas of Marx , Engels and Lenin ". The present constitution also ascribes the role of the Communist Party Of Cuba to be the "leading force of society and of the state". Executive power is exercised by the government, which is represented by the Council Of State and the Council Of Ministers . Legislative power is exercised through the Unicameral National Assembly Of The People's Power , which is constituted as the maximum authority of the state. Fidel Castro is president of the Council of state, president of the council of ministers (sometimes referred to as the Prime Minister ), First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Commander In Chief of the armed forces. Ricardo Alarcón is president of the National Assembly. INSTITUTIONS Political parties and elections See Also: Elections in Cuba The Communist Party Of Cuba is constitutionally recognized as Cuba's Only Legal Political Party . In theory, no political party, including the Communist Party Of Cuba , is permitted to nominate or campaign for any candidate. Candidates are theoretically to be nominated at local levels by the local population at small "Town Hall" type meetings, however, the Inter-American Commission On Human Rights points out that in reality the Communist party has the final word on who is elected. {Link without Title} . Suffrage is afforded to Cuban citizens resident for two years on the island who are aged over sixteen years and who have not been found guilty of a criminal offence. The national elections for the 609 members of the National Assembly of People's Power were held according to this system at 19 January 2003 . There was only one candidate for each seat. Next to the Communist Party Of Cuba , various political parties are illegally active in the country. The most important of these are the Christian Democratic Party Of Cuba , the Cuban Socialist Democratic Current , the Democratic Social-Revolutionary Party Of Cuba , the Democratic Solidarity Party , the Liberal Party Of Cuba and the Social Democratic Co-ordination Of Cuba . Executive Branch Executive Power is exercised by the government. Cuba is led by President Fidel Castro , who has been Chief Of State , Head Of Government , Prime Minister , First Secretary of the Communist Party Of Cuba (CPC) , and Commander In Chief of the armed forces. The Ministry Of Interior is the principal organ of state security and control. According to the Cuban Constitution Article 94, the First Vice President of the Council of State assumes presidential duties upon the illness or death of the president. On July 31 2006 , during the 2006 Cuban Transfer Of Duties , Fidel Castro delegated his duties as President of the Council Of State , first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party and the post of Commander In Chief of the armed forces to his younger brother, first Vice President Raúl Castro . This transfer of duties has been described as temporary while Fidel recovers from surgery he underwent due to an "acute intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding".http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060801/ts_nm/cuba_dc_2 Raul Castro was officially designated Fidel's successor at a Communist Party congress in October 1997. {Link without Title} Legislative Branch Cuba has an elected national Legislature , the National Assembly Of People's Power (''Asamblea Nacional de Poder Popular''), which has 609 members, elected every five years and holds brief sessions to ratify decisions by executive branch. The National Assembly convenes twice a year in ordinary periods of sessions. It has, though, permanent commissions to look after issues of legislative interest. Among its permanent or temporary commissions are those in charge of issues concerning the economy, the sugar industry, food production, industries, transportation and communications, constructions, foreign affairs, public health, defense and interior order. The National Assembly also has permanent departments that oversee the work of the Commissions, Local Assemblies of the People's Power, International Relations, Judicial Affairs and the Administration. Cuban Political system Cuba education tools. (designed Enrique Luis Varela, sculpture by Juan José Sicre and finished in 1958. Havana. Source: Ricardo Stuckert/ABr. 27/09/2003 ] Article #88(h) of the Constitution Of Cuba , adopted in 1976 , provides for citizen proposals of law, prerequisite that the proposal be made by at least 10 000 citizens who are eligible to vote. In 2002 supporters of a movement known as the Varela Project submitted a citizen proposal of law with 11,000 signatures calling for a national referendum on political and economic reforms. The Government response was to collect 8.1 million signatures to request that Cuba's National Assembly make the Socialist Constitution ''untouchable.'' Critics argue that the alleged signatures of 99.5 percent of Cuba's eligible voters were collected by Castro's neighborhood watch committees, whose evaluations of each citizen's political behavior can make or break people's lives in a country where the government controls virtually all jobs. {Link without Title} Judiciary Branch See Also: Cuban Legal System Although the constitution theoretically provides for independent courts, it explicitly subordinates them to the National Assembly and to the Council of State. The People's Supreme Court is the highest judicial body. The constitution states that all legally recognized civil liberties can be denied to anyone who opposes the "decision of the Cuban people to build socialism." Cuban courts are organized into three tiers that match the governmental divisions (national or Supreme Court, provincinal, and municipal). Most civil and criminal cases tried at the municipal and provincial levels are adjudicated by a panel of two lay judges and one professional judge. Cases that involve a potential sentence longer than eight years or complex civil law issues are heard, at the provincial or supreme level, by a panel of three professional judges and two lay judges. Both professional and lay judges are elected to their positions by the legislative assembly. Committees for the Defense of the Revolution The Committees For The Defense Of The Revolution are a network of neighborhood organizations across Cuba and most Cubans are members. The organizations are designed to put medical, educational or other campaigns into national effect, and to report "counter-revolutionary" activity. The CDR officials have the duty to know the activities of each person in their respective blocks. There is an individual file kept on each block resident, some of which reveal the internal dynamics of households. Citizens must be careful of their actions and of what they say, as they are being constantly monitored. {Link without Title} CUBA AND DEMOCRACY See Also: Cuba and democracy Since the time . HUMAN RIGHTS See Also: Human Rights in Cuba The Cuban Government has been criticized by various foreign governments and Non-governmental Organizations for its human rights record. FOREIGN RELATIONS OF CUBA See Also: Foreign relations of Cuba to make Cuba either a full or associate member of the South American trade-bloc known as Mercosur . [http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=199 REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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