The influx of voters in Cuba’s national legislative elections was higher on Sunday than that registered in November, when Cubans elected their local authorities, a slight respite for a government that has the main measure of potential social discontent in the abstention rate. .
The National Electoral Council (CEN) has confirmed that up to 5:00 p.m. (local time) on Sunday, 70.34 percent of the voters had participated, a figure that two hours before the closure of the schools already exceeded 68.58 percent. registered in November.
So, the abstention rate marked an unprecedented record for a country accustomed to overwhelming participation rates. Prominent opposition voices had called for not participating in Sunday’s elections as a gesture of rejection of a system that they do not recognize as democratic.
In fact, the electoral authorities have emphasized when offering the preliminary data – to which the voters of the last two hours of the elections would remain to be added – the rebound in participation with respect to previous processes, although the final figure is not likely to be it will reach the 85.65 percent registered in March 2018, when the National Assembly was also renewed.
The Cuban one-party system leaves no room for the incorporation of opposition candidates among the 470 names in the running, who aspired to as many seats in Parliament. Among those who repeat are the current president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and his predecessor, Raúl Castro.