Latin American Network Information Center - LANIC

-DATE-
19911013
-YEAR-
1991
-DOCUMENT TYPE-
-AUTHOR-
-HEADLINE-
Proceedings of Fourth PCC Congress Reported
-PLACE-
CARIBBEAN / Cuba
-SOURCE-
Havana Tele Rebelde and Cuba Vision Networks
-REPORT NO.-
FBIS-LAT-91-199-S
-REPORT DATE-
19911015
-HEADER-
*********************
Report Type:         Daily Report             AFS Number:     FL1310213591
Report Number:       FBIS-LAT-91-199-S        Report Date:    15 Oct 91
Report Series:       Latin America            Start Page:     37
Report Division:     CARIBBEAN                End Page:       37
Report Subdivision:  Cuba                     AG File Flag:   
Classification:      UNCLASSIFIED             Language:       Spanish
Document Date:       13 Oct 91

City/Source of Document:   Havana Tele Rebelde and Cuba Vision Networks

Report Name:   SUPPLEMENT

Headline:   Proceedings of Fourth PCC Congress Reported

Subheadline:   Delegates Consider Electoral System

Author(s):   Amada Montalvo on a dialogue between President Fidel Castro and an
unidentified delegate during the Fourth Congress of the PCC from
the Heredia Theater in Santiago de Cuba-live]

Source Line:   FL1310213591 Havana Tele Rebelde and Cuba Vision Networks in
Spanish 1800 GMT 13 Oct 91

Subslug:   [Report by Amada Montalvo on a dialogue between President Fidel
Castro and an unidentified delegate during the Fourth Congress of
the PCC from the Heredia Theater in Santiago de Cuba-live]

-TEXT-
FULL TEXT OF ARTICLE:
1.  [Report by Amada Montalvo on a dialogue between President Fidel Castro and
an unidentified delegate during the Fourth Congress of the PCC from the Heredia
Theater in Santiago de Cuba-live]

2.  [Excerpts] For or against, everything is being debated.  Different opinions
and proposals were presented by the delegates, especially concerning structural
and organizational matters, while progress was made on the draft resolution on
improving the organization and functioning of the People's Government bodies.
Among many of the most polemical points were whether the delegates to
provincial assemblies should be elected directly or indirectly, whether the
executive-administrative branch should be separate from the legislative branch,
and whether a given person should belong to both branches.

3.  [Begin recording] [passage omitted] [Delegate] It seems contradictory to me
that we should elect the delegates directly to the municipal assemblies and the
deputies to the National Assembly, but elect the delegates indirectly to the
provincial assemblies. The citizens know who they have elected as delegates and
deputies, but do not know who the provincial representatives are. I...

4.  [Castro, interrupting] Of course, more than contradictory, it seems
illogical.  [Delegate] Illogical. It also seems illogical to me that although
the municipality of the comrades may be very small, the current structure is
being defended, in which the work of the People's Government, far from being
oriented toward the populace's opinions, the commissions and all that
representative kind of work were absorbed by administrative work, and it became
a kind of guerrilla war of administrative work. I completely agree with what
the resolution says about the separation [of administrative and legislative
posts], and there would not be so many chiefs because I see the apparatus of
this administrative committee as having the same administrative chiefs as the
ones who are already there in the municipality. So they would not have to be
reappointed.

5.  [Castro] And what would you do with the president of the...  [Delegate,
interrupting] The same thing, because I was also going to say that it seems
contradictory to me for a comrade to propose two presidents for one
municipality.  Two presidents! I said, jokingly: Is one on vacation and the
other working? Because that is not logical. It is even more illogical. Having
two presidents seems more illogical to me.

6.  [Castro] I am going to ask you something out of pure curiosity. I do not
want to cause confusion here, although we should not be afraid of becoming
confused if our ideas are clear. What would you do about the mayors? 
[Delegate] They should be elected directly.

7.  [Castro] You say so?  [Delegate] I do. I have never proposed it because...

8.  [Castro, interrupting] You are already starting to become confused. And the
...  [Delegate, interrupting] The head of the province?

9.  [Castro] Yes.  [Delegate] He should be elected directly also. Do you know
why...

10.  [Castro, interrupting] And the president of the Council of State? 
[Delegate] No, he should not be elected directly.  [laughter]

11.  [Castro] That begins to seem like a contradiction, or something illogical.
You can see how these are issues that concern very important concepts. What
kind of government do we want to organize? What is more democratic?  Are we
creating tyrants who do not have to answer to anyone, and who become
all-powerful masters?  [Delegate] No, but...

12.  [Castro, interrupting] This is one of the little points. Of course, if we
elect people, it has to be logical. If we elect this one, we elect that one and
that other one. We could suspend the assemblies. Why would we want to have
them? [end recording]

13.  The delegates approved by a majority to recommend to the National Assembly
that the delegates to the provincial assemblies be elected by a direct vote,
rather than through the municipal assemblies, as is currently done.  This was
in fact the only modification to the draft resolution. With respect to the
electoral system, the document also includes a provision that the deputies to
the National Assembly should also be elected by the direct vote of the
electors. The rest of the proposals will also be transmitted to the highest
government body.

-END-


LANIC |