1.
Cuba
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Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is a country comprising the island of Cuba as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and it is south of both the U. S. state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Haiti, and north of Jamaica. Havana is the largest city and capital, other cities include Santiago de Cuba. Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, with an area of 109,884 square kilometres, prior to Spanish colonization in the late 15th century, Cuba was inhabited by Amerindian tribes. It remained a colony of Spain until the Spanish–American War of 1898, as a fragile republic, Cuba attempted to strengthen its democratic system, but mounting political radicalization and social strife culminated in the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1952. Further unrest and instability led to Batistas ousting in January 1959 by the July 26 Movement, since 1965, the state has been governed by the Communist Party of Cuba. A point of contention during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, a nuclear war broke out during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Culturally, Cuba is considered part of Latin America, Cuba is a Marxist–Leninist one-party republic, where the role of the vanguard Communist Party is enshrined in the Constitution. Independent observers have accused the Cuban government of human rights abuses. It is one of the worlds last planned economies and its economy is dominated by the exports of sugar, tobacco, coffee, according to the Human Development Index, Cuba is described as a country with high human development and is ranked the eighth highest in North America. It also ranks highly in some metrics of national performance, including health care, the name Cuba comes from the Taíno language. The exact meaning of the name is unclear but it may be translated either as where fertile land is abundant, authors who believe that Christopher Columbus was Portuguese state that Cuba was named by Columbus for the town of Cuba in the district of Beja in Portugal. Before the arrival of the Spanish, Cuba was inhabited by three distinct tribes of indigenous peoples of the Americas, the Taíno, the Guanajatabey, and the Ciboney people. The ancestors of the Ciboney migrated from the mainland of South America, the Taíno arrived from Hispanola sometime in the 3rd century A. D. When Columbus arrived they were the dominant culture in Cuba, having a population of 150,000. The name Cuba comes from the native Taíno language and it is derived from either coabana meaning great place, or from cubao meaning where fertile land is abundant. The Taíno were farmers, while the Ciboney were farmers as well as fishers and hunter-gatherers, Columbus claimed the island for the new Kingdom of Spain and named it Isla Juana after Juan, Prince of Asturias. In 1511, the first Spanish settlement was founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar at Baracoa, other towns soon followed, including San Cristobal de la Habana, founded in 1515, which later became the capital
2.
Politics of Cuba
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Cuba has had, according to the Constitution, a democratic centralist political system since 1959 based on the one state – one party principle. Cuba is constitutionally defined as a Marxist–Leninist socialist state guided by the ideas of Marx, one of the fathers of historical materialism, Engels. The present Constitution also ascribes the role of the Communist Party of Cuba to be the force of society and of the state. Executive power is exercised by the Government, which is represented by the Council of State, legislative power is exercised through the unicameral National Assembly of Peoples Power, which is constituted as the maximum authority of the state. Fidel Castro has ruled from 1959 to 2016 before his brother took the power, Esteban Lazo Hernández is President of the National Assembly. Executive power is exercised by the government, 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. Cuba has a national legislature, the National Assembly of Peoples Power. The National Assembly convenes twice a year in ordinary periods of sessions, however, it has permanent commissions to look after issues of legislative interest. The National Assembly also has permanent departments that oversee the work of the Commissions, Local Assemblies of the Peoples Power, International Relations, Judicial Affairs and the Administration. Article 88 of the Constitution of Cuba, adopted in 1976, provides for citizen proposals of law, 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 Cubas National Assembly enact an amendment making socialism an unalterable feature of Cuban government. The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution is a network of organizations across Cuba. The organizations are designed to put medical, educational or other campaigns into national effect and it is the duty of the CDR officials to know the activities of each person in their respective blocks. Cuba is a one-party political system, suffrage is non-compulsory and is afforded to Cuban citizens who have resided for two years on the island. Such citizens must be aged sixteen years, must not have been found guilty of a criminal offense. Cubans living abroad are denied the right to vote, the national elections for the 612 members of the National Assembly of Peoples Power are held according to this system and the precepts of the 1976 Constitution. From 1959 to 1976, a legislative branch did not exist, in 1992 the Constitution was reformed to allow direct voting to elect members to the National Assembly
3.
Foreign relations of Cuba
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Cubas foreign policy has been fluid through history depending on world events and other variables, including relations with the United States. The United States used to stick to a policy of isolating Cuba until December 2014, the European Union accuses Cuba of continuing flagrant violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Cuba has developed a relationship with the Peoples Republic of China. In all, Cuba continues to have relations with 160 nations. More than one million exiles have escaped to foreign countries, Cubas present foreign minister is Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. Cuba is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and hosted its September 2006 summit, in addition as a member of the Association of Caribbean States, Cuba was re-appointed as the chair- of the special committee on transportation issues for the Caribbean region. Following a meeting in November 2004, several leaders of South America have attempted to make Cuba either a full or associate member of the South American trade-bloc known as Mercosur, prior to achieving its independence, Cuba was a colony of Spain. Prior to the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, Cuba maintained strong economic, from 1902 until its abrogation in 1934, the Platt Amendment authorized the US to use military force to preserve Cubas independence. In 1917, Cuba entered World War I on the side of the allies, Cuba joined the League of Nations in 1920. In 1941, Cuba declared war on Italy, Germany, Cuba joined the United Nations in 1945. Cuba joined the Organization of American States in 1948, during the Presidency of Fulgencio Batista, Cuba did not initially face trade restrictions. In mid-1958, the United States imposed an embargo on the Batista administration. As early as September 1959, Vadim Kotchergin, a KGB agent, was seen in Cuba, following the establishment of diplomatic ties to the Soviet Union, and after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Cuba became increasingly dependent on Soviet markets and military and economic aid. Castro was able to build a military force with the help of Soviet equipment. Castros alliance with the Soviet Union caused something of a split between him and Guevara, in 1966, Guevara left for Bolivia in an ill-fated attempt to stir up revolution against the countrys government. On August 23,1968, Castro made a gesture to the USSR that caused the Soviet leadership to reaffirm their support for him. Two days after Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia to repress the Prague Spring, Castro took to the airwaves, Castro warned the Cuban people about the Czechoslovakian counterrevolutionaries, who were moving Czechoslovakia towards capitalism and into the arms of imperialists. He called the leaders of the rebellion the agents of West Germany, the relationship between the Soviet Unions KGB and the Cuban Intelligence Directorate was complex and marked by times of extremely close cooperation and times of extreme competition
4.
Cuban passport
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Cuban passports are issued to citizens of Cuba to facilitate international travel. They are valid for 6 years from the date of issuance, the cost of this passport is about US$500 for every two years if one person lives in the United States. Now the passport is the only document required to leave the country, previously the cost of a passport, exit permit, and associated paperwork added up to around US$300, the equivalent of 15 months of average state salary. Passports of many countries contain a message, nominally from the official who is in charge of passport issuance, in Cuban passports, the message is in Spanish, French and English. In addition to colored fibers in all pages, Cuban passports feature a UV-reaction-based mark of the Cuban flag
5.
Parliament
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In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative, elected body of government. Generally a modern parliament has three functions, representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government, historically, parliaments included various kinds of deliberative, consultative, and judicial assemblies. The term is derived from Anglo-Norman parlement, from the verb parler talk, the meaning evolved over time, originally any discussion, conversation, or negotiation, through various kinds of deliberative or judicial groups, often summoned by the monarch. By 1400, it had come to mean in Britain specifically the British supreme legislature, various parliaments are claimed to be the oldest in the world, under varying definitions. The Sicilian Parliament, whose first assembly was convened in 1097, the Icelandic Althing, year 930, but only including the main chiefs. Since ancient times, when societies were tribal, there were councils or a headman whose decisions were assessed by village elders, some scholars suggest that in ancient Mesopotamia there was a primitive democratic government where the kings were assessed by council. The same has been said about ancient India, where some form of deliberative assemblies existed, however, these claims are not accepted by most scholars, who see these forms of government as oligarchies. Ancient Athens was the cradle of democracy, the Athenian assembly was the most important institution, and every citizen could take part in the discussions. However, Athenian democracy was not representative, but rather direct, the Roman Senate controlled money, administration, and the details of foreign policy. Some Muslim scholars argue that the Islamic shura is analogous to the parliament, however, others highlight what they consider fundamental differences between the shura system and the parliamentary system. England has long had a tradition of a body of men who would assist, under the Anglo-Saxon kings, there was an advisory council, the Witenagemot. The name derives from the Old English ƿitena ȝemōt, or witena gemōt, the first recorded act of a witenagemot was the law code issued by King Æthelberht of Kent ca. 600, the earliest document which survives in sustained Old English prose, however, the Witan, along with the folkmoots, is an important ancestor of the modern English parliament. As part of the Norman Conquest of England, the new king, William I, did away with the Witenagemot, membership of the Curia was largely restricted to the tenants in chief, the few nobles who rented great estates directly from the king, along with ecclesiastics. William brought to England the feudal system of his native Normandy and this is the original body from which the Parliament, the higher courts of law, and the Privy Council and Cabinet descend. Of these, the legislature is formally the High Court of Parliament, only the executive government is no longer conducted in a royal court. Most historians date the emergence of a parliament with some degree of power to which the throne had to defer no later than the rule of Edward I, like previous kings, Edward called leading nobles and church leaders to discuss government matters, especially finance. A meeting in 1295 became known as the Model Parliament because it set the pattern for later Parliaments, in 1307, Edward I agreed not to collect certain taxes without the consent of the realm
6.
Economy of Cuba
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Cuba has a planned economy dominated by state-run enterprises. Most industries are owned and operated by the government and most of the force is employed by the state. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party encouraged the formation of worker co-operatives, in the year 2000, public sector employment was 76% and private sector employment, mainly composed of self-employment, was 23% compared to the 1981 ratio of 91% to 8%. Investment is restricted and requires approval by the government, the government sets most prices and rations goods to citizens. In 2009, Cuba ranked 51st out of 182 countries with a Human Development Index of 0.863, in 2012, the countrys public debt was 35. 3% of GDP, inflation was 5. 5%, and GDP growth was 3%. Housing and transportation costs are low, Cubans receive free education, health care and food subsidies. Corruption is common, although lower than in most of Latin America, the country achieved a more even distribution of income since the Cuban Revolution, which was followed by an economic embargo by the United States. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cubas GDP declined by 33% between 1990 and 1993, partially due to loss of Soviet subsidies and to a crash in prices in the early 1990s. Cuba retains high levels of healthcare and education, although Cuba belonged to the high-income countries of Latin America since the 1870s, income inequality was high, accompanied by capital outflows to foreign investors. The countrys economy had grown rapidly in the part of the century. Its income per capita in 1929 was reportedly 41% of the US, thus higher than in Mississippi and its proximity to the United States made it a familiar holiday destination for wealthy Americans. Their visits for gambling, horse racing and golfing made tourism an important economic sector, tourism magazine Cabaret Quarterly described Havana as a mistress of pleasure, the lush and opulent goddess of delights. According to Perez, Havana was then what Las Vegas has become, the dictator Fulgencio Batista had plans to line the Malecon, Havana’s famous walkway by the water, with hotels and casinos to attract even more tourists. Today Hotel Havana Riviera is the hotel that was built before the revolutionary government took control. Cuba had an economy whose domestic market was constricted. Its population was characterized by unemployment and deep poverty. United States monopolies like Bethlehem Steel Corporation and Speyer gained control over national resources. The banks and the entire financial system, all electric power production
7.
Legislature
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A legislature is a deliberative assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. Legislatures form important parts of most governments, in the separation of model, they are often contrasted with the executive. Laws enacted by legislatures are known as legislation, legislatures observe and steer governing actions and usually have exclusive authority to amend the budget or budgets involved in the process. The members of a legislature are called legislators, each chamber of legislature consists of a number of legislators who use some form of parliamentary procedure to debate political issues and vote on proposed legislation. There must be a number of legislators present to carry out these activities. Some of the responsibilities of a legislature, such as giving first consideration to newly proposed legislation, are delegated to committees made up of small selections of the legislators. The members of a legislature usually represent different political parties, the members from each party generally meet as a caucus to organize their internal affairs, the internal organization of a legislature is also shaped by the informal norms that are shared by its members. Legislatures vary widely in the amount of power they wield, compared to other political players such as judiciaries, militaries. In 2009, political scientists M. Steven Fish and Matthew Kroenig constructed a Parliamentary Powers Index in an attempt to quantify the different degrees of power among national legislatures, such a system renders the legislature more powerful. Legislatures will sometime delegate their legislative power to administrative or executive agencies, legislatures are made up of individual members, known as legislators, who vote on proposed laws. For example, a legislature that has 100 seats has 100 members, by extension, an electoral district that elects a single legislator can also be described as a seat, as, for, example, in the phrases safe seat and marginal seat. In parliamentary systems of government, the executive is responsible to the legislature which may remove it with a vote of no confidence, names for national legislatures include parliament, congress, diet and assembly. A legislature which operates as a unit is unicameral, one divided into two chambers is bicameral, and one divided into three chambers is tricameral. In bicameral legislatures, one chamber is considered the upper house. In federations, the upper house typically represents the component states. This is a case with the legislature of the European Union. Tricameral legislatures are rare, the Massachusetts Governors Council still exists, tetracameral legislatures no longer exist, but they were previously used in Scandinavia. Legislatures vary widely in their size, among national legislatures, Chinas National Peoples Congress is the largest with 2987 members, while Vatican Citys Pontifical Commission is the smallest with 7
8.
Elections in Cuba
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Many governments and international groups have also praised the democratic nature of the Cuban political system. The nature of the participation in Cuba has fostered discussion amongst political writers and philosophers. The Cuban political system is described as undemocratic by human rights groups and academics. Fidel Castro, leader of the Communist Party of Cuba, was in power, first as Prime Minister and then as President, castros brother Raúl Castro was officially designated Fidels successor at a Communist Party congress in October 1997. Fidel Castro officially retired on February 19,2008, leaving his brother as the candidate for president. Elections in Cuba have two phases, election of delegates to the Municipal Assembly, and election of deputies to the Provincial and National Assemblies, Candidates for municipal assemblies are nominated on an individual basis at local levels by the local population at nomination assemblies. Candidates for provincial assemblies and the National Assembly are nominated by the assemblies from lists compiled by national, provincial and municipal candidacy commissions. Suggestions for nominations are made at all levels mainly by organizations, trade unions, peoples councils. Anyone older than 16 other than those mentally incapacitated, imprisoned, or deprived of their rights can vote. No political parties are permitted to campaign, instead, voters can consult candidates biographies and photographs posted on public locations. All elections take place by secret ballot, 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 offense. The election of municipal assembly delegates involves nomination by voters in nomination assemblies, compilation of posting of candidate biographies, voting by secret ballot, Municipal assemblies are elected every two and a half years. Nomination assemblies are held about a month before the election in areas within the electoral districts, during regular elections, from 70% to over 90% of the electorate attend the nomination assemblies. Municipal candidates must be at least 16 years old, Elections were then held in 2010 and 2013. Municipal candidacy commissions submit nominations for provincial delegates to provincial candidacy commissions, the provincial candidacy commissions produce the final list of provincial assembly candidates. Cubas national legislature, the National Assembly of Peoples Power, has 609 members who sit for five-year terms, members of the National Assembly represent multiple-member constituencies, with one Deputy for each 20,000 inhabitants. The provincial and municipal candidacy commissions submit nominations to the National Candidacy Commission. ”At least half of the National Assembly candidates selected must have been elected as delegates to these assemblies. Although there is one candidate per seat, candidates must obtain the support of 50% of voters to be elected
9.
Speaker (politics)
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The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer. The title was first used in 1399 in England, the speakers official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the powers to members who break the procedures of the chamber or house. The speaker often also represents the body in person, as the voice of the body in ceremonial, the title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerford in the Parliament of England. By convention, speakers are normally addressed in Parliament as Mister Speaker, if a man, or Madam Speaker, in other cultures other styles are used, mainly being equivalents of English chairman or president. Many bodies also have a pro tempore, designated to fill in when the speaker is not available. The Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives is the officer of the Australian House of Representatives. The President of the Australian Senate is the officer of the Australian Senate. Now constitutional community highlights changes also in this role, in Canada, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the individual elected to preside over the House of Commons, the elected lower house. The speaker is a Member of Parliament and is elected at the beginning of new parliament by fellow MPs. The Speakers role in presiding over Canadas House of Commons is similar to that of speakers elsewhere in countries that use the Westminster system. The Speaker does not vote except in the case of a tie, by convention, if required to vote, the Speaker will vote in favour of continuing debate on a matter, but will not ultimately vote for a measure to be approved. The Speaker of the Senate of Canada is the officer of the Senate of Canada. The Speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of procedure and parliamentary privilege. The Speaker of the Senate is appointed by the Governor General of Canada from amongst sitting senators upon the advice of the Prime Minister, the Speaker has a vote on all matters. In the event of a tie, the matter fails, at the provincial level, the presiding officer of the provincial legislatures is called the Speaker in all provinces except Quebec, where the term President is used. The presiding officer fulfills the role as the Speaker of the House of Commons. In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the elected to preside over the elected House of Commons
10.
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution
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Not to be confused with Committees for the Defense of the Revolution Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, or CDR, are a network of neighborhood committees across Cuba. The organizations, described as the eyes and ears of the Revolution, exist to promote social welfare, as of 2010,8.4 million Cubans of the national population of 11.2 million were registered as CDR members. It is considered to be a police organization. The CDR system was formed by Fidel Castro on September 28,1960, following the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the slogan of the CDR is, ¡En cada barrio, Revolución. CDR officials have the duty to monitor the activities of person on their respective blocks. There is a file kept on each block resident, some of which reveal the internal dynamics of each household. Even after its 54-year existence, CDR activity remains contentious, the CDRs also take an active role in vaccination campaigns, blood banks, recycling, practicing evacuations for hurricanes, and backing up the government in its fight against corruption. However, a 2006 Amnesty International report noted CDR involvement in repeated human rights violations that included verbal as well as physical violence. Critics also contend that the CDRs are a tool, giving the government a heads-up about dissident activities on the micro-local level. Elizardo Sánchez, a Cuban dissident, described the CDR as a tool for the systematic and mass violation of rights, for ideological. They assist the police and the service, whereas Lazaro Sanchez. If we have to act, we are going to act and our streets cannot belong to criminals, or to counterrevolutionaries. Empire has the FBI, the Revolution has its CDRs, blockleiter Mass surveillance Informal collaborators Official CDR−Committees for the Defense of the Revolution website— Recent news about the CDR— +
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