Government & politics — Cuba

• 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898
• administered by the US from 1898 to 1902)
• not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence

• History: several previous; the latest drafted on 14 July 2018, approved by the National Assembly on 22 December 2018,
• and approved by referendum on 24 February 2019 Amendments: proposed by the National Assembly of People’s Power; passage requires approval of at least two-thirds majority of the National Assembly membership; amendments to constitutional articles on the authorities of the National Assembly, Council of State, or any rights and duties in the constitution also require approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on the Cuban political, social, and economic system cannot be amended

• Chief of State: President Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 19 April 2018); Vice President Salvador A
• ntonio VALDES Mesa (since 10 October 2019) Head of government: Prime Minister Manuel MARRERO Cruz (since 21 December 2019); Deputy Prime Ministers Ramiro VALDES Menendez, Ines Maria CHAPMAN Waugh, Jorge Luis TAPIA Fonseca, Alejandro GIL Fernandez, Ricardo CABRISAS Ruiz (since 21 December 2019),
• and Jorge Luis PERDOMO DI-LELLA (since 20 April 2021) Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president
• and appointed by the National Assembly Elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last hel
• d on 19 April 2023 (next to be held in 2028) Election results: 2023: Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (PCC) reelected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 97.7%; Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (PCC) reelected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 93.4% 2018: Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (PCC) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 98.8%; Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (PCC) elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 98.1% Note - on 19 April 2018, DIAZ-CANEL succeeded Raul CASTRO as president of the Councils of State and Ministers; on 10 October 2019 he was elected to the newly created position of President of the Republic, which replaced the position of President of the Councils of State and Ministers

Description

unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (605 seats; (586 seats filled in 2021); members directly elected by absolute majority vote; members serve 5-year terms); note 1 - the National Candidature Commission submits a slate of approved candidates; to be elected, candidates must receive more than 50% of valid votes otherwise the seat remains vacant or the Council of State can declare another election; note 2 - in July 2019, the National Assembly passed a law which reduced the number of members from 605 to 470, effective with the 2023 general election

Elections

last held on 26 March 2023 (next to be held in early 2028)

Election Results

• Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed
• composition as of January 2024 - men 208, women 262, percent of women 55.7%

• Highest court(s): People's Supreme Court (consists of court president, vice president, 41 professional justices, and NA lay judges); organization includes the State Council, criminal, civil, administrative, labor, crimes against the state,
• and military courts) Judge selection and term of office: professional judges elected by the National Assembly are not subject to a specific term; lay judges nominated by workplace collectives and neighborhood associations and elected by municipal or provincial assemblies; lay judges appointed for 5-y
• ear terms and serve up to 30 days per year Subordinate courts: People's Provincial Courts; People's Regional Courts; People's Courts

15 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Artemisa, Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana (Havana), Las Tunas, Matanzas, Mayabeque, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara

• Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez]

• no Residency requirement for naturalization: unknown

• +1hr, begins second Sunday in March
• ends first Sunday in November
• note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lighting

ACP, ALBA, AOSIS, CABEI, CELAC, EAEU (observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Benjamin G. ZIFF (since 14 July 2022) Embassy: Calzada between L & M Streets, Vedado, Havana Mailing address: 3200 Havana Place, Washington DC 20521-3200

Telephone

[53] (7) 839-4100

FAX

[53] (7) 839-4247

Email address and website

• acshavana@state.gov
• https://cu.usembassy.gov/

Chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Lianys TORRES RIVERA (since 14 January 2021)

Chancery

2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Telephone

[1] (202) 797-8515

FAX

[1] (202) 797-8521

Email address and website

• recepcion@usadc.embacuba.cu
• https://misiones.cubaminrex.cu/en/usa/embassy-cuba-usa