GOVERNMENT
Cuba is a totalitarian state controlled by Fidel Castro, who is chief of state, head of government, First Secretary of the PCC, and commander in chief of the armed forces. The Castro regime seeks to control most aspects of Cuban life through the Communist Party and its affiliated mass organizations, the government bureaucracy, and the state security apparatus. In March 2003, Castro announced his intention to remain in power for life. On July 31, 2006 the Castro regime announced a "temporary" transfer of power from Fidel Castro to his brother Raul, who until that time served as head of the Cuban armed forces and second-in-command of the government and the Communist Party. It was the first time in the 47 years of Fidel Castro’s rule that power had been transferred. The transfer took place due to intestinal surgery of an undetermined nature. The Ministry of Interior is the principal organ of state security and control.
According
to the Soviet-style Cuban constitution of 1976, the National Assembly
of People's Power -- and its Council of State when the body is
not in session -- has supreme authority in the Cuban system. Since
the National Assembly meets only twice a year for a few days each
time, the 31-member Council of State wields power. The Council
of Ministers, through its 9-member executive committee, handles
the administration of the economy, which is state-controlled except
for a tiny and shriveling open-market sector. Fidel Castro is
President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers and
his brother Raul serves as First Vice President of both bodies
as well as Minister of Defense.
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. Due process is routinely denied to Cuban citizens,
particularly in cases involving political offenses. 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." Citizens can be and are jailed for terms
of 3 years or more for simply criticizing the communist system
or Fidel Castro.
The Communist Party is constitutionally recognized as Cuba's only legal political party. The party monopolizes all government positions, including judicial offices. Though not a formal requirement, party membership is a de facto prerequisite for high-level official positions and professional advancement in most areas, although a tiny number of non-party members have on extremely rare occasions been permitted by the controlling Communist authorities to serve in the National Assembly. The Communist Party or one of its front organizations approves candidates for any elected office. Citizens do not have the right to change their government. In March 2003, the government carried out one of the most brutal crackdowns on peaceful opposition in the history of Cuba when it arrested 75 human rights activists, independent journalists and opposition figures on various charges, including aiding a foreign power and violating national security laws. Authorities subjected the detainees to summary trials and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 6 to 28 years. Amnesty International identified all 75 as "prisoners of conscience." The European Union (EU) condemned their arrests and in June 2003, it announced its decision to implement the following actions: limit bilateral high-level governmental visits, reduce the profile of member states' participation in cultural events, reduce economic assistance and invite Cuban dissidents to national-day celebrations. See also the Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Cuba.
Although the constitution allows legislative proposals backed by at least 10,000 citizens to be submitted directly to the National Assembly, in 2002 the government rejected a petition known as the Varela Project, supporters of which submitted 11,000 signatures calling for a national referendum on political and economic reforms. Many of the 75 activists arrested in March 2003 participated in the Varela Project. In October 2003, Project Varela organizers submitted a second petition to the National Assembly with an additional 14,000 signatures. Since April 2004, some prisoners of conscience have been released, 10 of whom were in the group of 75; all suffered from moderate to severe medical conditions and many of them continue to be harassed by state security even after their release from prison. At least 16 other activists were either arrested or sentenced to prison since 2004 for opposing the Cuban Government.
NATIONAL
SECURITY
Under Castro, Cuba is a highly militarized society. From 1975
until the late 1980s, massive Soviet military assistance enabled
Cuba to upgrade its military capabilities and project power abroad.
The tonnage of Soviet military deliveries to Cuba throughout most
of the 1980s exceeded deliveries in any year since the military
build-up during the 1962 missile crisis.
Since
the loss of Soviet-era subsidies in the early 1990s, Cuba's armed
forces have shrunk considerably, both in number and assets. Combined
active duty troop strength for all three services is estimated
at 50,000 to 55,000 personnel (compared to some 235,000 on active
duty 10 years ago) and much of Cuba's weaponry appears to be in
storage. Cuba's air force, once considered among the best equipped
in Latin America, no longer merits that distinction, though it
still possesses advanced aircraft and weapons systems. The navy
has become primarily a coastal defense force with no blue water
capability. The Cuban army is still one of the region's more formidable,
but it, too, is much reduced and no longer has the considerable
resources necessary to project power abroad.
The
military plays a growing role in the economy and manages a number
of hotels in the tourist sector. The country's two paramilitary
organizations, the Territorial Militia Troops and the Youth Labor
Army, have a reduced training capability. Cuba also adopted a
"war of the people" strategy that highlights the defensive
nature of its capabilities. The government continues to maintain
a large state security apparatus, under the Ministry of Interior,
to repress dissent within Cuba, and, in the last decade, has formed
special forces units to confront indications of popular unrest
.
Type: Communist state;
current government assumed power by force January 1, 1959.
Independence: May 20, 1902.
Political party: Cuban Communist Party (PCC); only one
party allowed.
Administrative subdivisions:14 provinces, including the
city of Havana, and one special municipality (Isle of Youth).
