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Freedom in the World, Cuba

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Freedom in the World, Cuba 4/30/2020 Cuba | Freedom House FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2020 Cuba 14 NOT FREE /100 Political Rights 1 /40 Civil Liberties 13 /60 LAST YEAR'S SCORE & STATUS 14 /100 Not Free Global freedom statuses are calculated on a weighted scale. See the methodology. https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-world/2020 1/19 4/30/2020 Cuba | Freedom House Overview Cuba is a one-party communist state that outlaws political pluralism, bans independent media, suppresses dissent, and severely restricts basic civil liberties. The government continues to dominate the economy despite recent reforms that permit some private-sector activity. The regime’s undemocratic character has not changed despite a generational transition in political leadership between 2018 and 2019 that included the introduction of a new constitution. Key Developments in 2019 A new constitution was approved in a February national referendum that included a historic number of abstentions and “no” votes. The charter maintained the one-party state and socialist management of the economy, but contained some modest changes, including the recognition of private property. Miguel Díaz-Canel, who had served as president of the Council of Ministers and head of Council of State since April 2018, took on the newly created post of president of the Republic in October. In December, he appointed Manuel Marrero as Cuba’s prime minister. Raúl Castro, who left the presidency in 2018 after two five-year terms, continues on as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) until 2021. New laws approved during the year legalized electronic surveillance and banned citizens from hosting web content on foreign servers, effectively placing all independent digital media outlets in greater legal jeopardy. Cubans took advantage of the availability of third-generation (3G) mobile data service to criticize government policies and confront ministers via social media, using popular hashtags linked to periodic public protests, including ones demanding lower internet prices and calls to abstain from voting or vote against the new constitution. https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-world/2020 2/19 4/30/2020 Cuba | Freedom House Political Rights A. Electoral Process A1 0-4 pts Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections? 0 / 4 Every five years, the National Assembly designates the members of the Council of State through a noncompetitive process. This body in turn appoints the Council of Ministers in consultation with its president, who until recently had served as both chief of state and head of government. The new constitution approved by voters in February 2019 separated these roles, creating the post of president of the republic, to which Miguel Díaz-Canel was elected in a nearly unanimous National Assembly vote in October 2019. In December, he appointed long-serving tourism minister Manuel Marrero as Cuba’s first prime minister in 40 years; he will lead the Council of Ministers and oversee daily government affairs. In a surprise to many who had expected someone younger, 75-year-old National Assembly head Esteban Lazo took on the role of head of the Council of State. The new constitution sets a limit of two consecutive five-year terms for the presidency, as well as an age limit of 60 years for the start of a president’s first term. Raúl Castro, having served as president since he succeeded his brother Fidel in 2008, stepped down in April 2018. However, Castro continues to wield considerable power as first secretary of the PCC—a post he will hold at least until 2021. A significant process of generational transition and partial decoupling of top party and government posts continued during 2019 with the final members of Cuba’s “historic” generation stepping down from the Council of State, including the https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-world/2020 3/19 4/30/2020 Cuba | Freedom House powerful long-time hardline stalwarts Ramiro Valdés (87) and Guillermo García Frias (91). In the October reshuffling, the Council of State shrank to 21 members, from 31 previously, with 4 new people joining and 14 departing. A2 0-4 pts Were the current national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections? 0 / 4 In the 2018 National Assembly elections, held in March, voters were asked to either support or reject a single PCC-approved candidate for each of the unicameral body’s 605 seats. All candidates were elected. Subsequent elections in 2019 have been restricted to the members of the National Assembly and serve as virtually unanimous ratification exercises of single preselected candidates. A3 0-4 pts Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies? 0 / 4 The only Cuban elections that offer a choice of more than one candidate per office are those for municipal assemblies, but no campaigning is allowed. This did not change under the new electoral laws that are slated to follow ratification of the new constitution, which was approved in a February national referendum that included a historic number of abstentions and “no” votes. On the occasion of constitutional referendum and again later during the October National Assembly vote ratifying Miguel Díaz-Canel as president of the republic, numerous dissident group headquarters were raided and independent journalists intimidated or placed under extrajudicial house arrest to prevent their interfering with or even witnessing the polls. https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-world/2020 4/19 4/30/2020 Cuba | Freedom House B. Political Pluralism and Participation B1 0-4 pts Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system free of undue obstacles to the rise and fall of these competing parties or 0 / 4 groupings? Political parties other than the PCC are illegal. Political dissent is a punishable offense, and dissidents are systematically harassed, detained, physically assaulted, and imprisoned for minor infractions. Supposedly spontaneous mob attacks, known as “acts of repudiation,” are often used to silence political dissidents. The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), a nongovernmental organization based in Madrid, reported 3,157 arbitrary arrests of peaceful opponents during 2019, a notable increase over the 2,525 in 2018. OCDH indicates that these detentions normally took place without legal oversight and were often “accompanied by home raids, fines, confiscation of belongings, beatings, and threats.” Such brief politically motivated detentions of political dissidents and independent journalists were a key repressive tactic under the government of Raúl Castro, and have continued in a similar fashion under Díaz-Canel. B2 0-4 pts Is there a realistic opportunity for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections? 0 / 4 The PCC and the Castro brothers in particular have dominated government and politics in Cuba since 1959, allowing no transfer or rotation of power between rival https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-world/2020 5/19 4/30/2020 Cuba | Freedom House groups. While the unprecedented attempt by dissident groups to field independent candidates in the 2017 municipal elections was aimed at challenging the PCC’s monopoly, the authorities’ successful campaign to block opposition candidacies ensured that no independent candidates made it on the ballot. Similarly, both the February 2019 constitutional referendum and the October National Assembly election of the president saw a substantial mobilization of Cuba’s repressive apparatus to block oppositional organizing. B3 0-4 pts Are the people’s political choices free from domination by forces that are external to the political sphere, or by political forces that employ 0 / 4 extrapolitical means? The authoritarian one-party system in Cuba largely excludes the public from any genuine and autonomous political participation. The military and intelligence agencies play an important role in suppressing dissent and wield deep influence over virtually every aspect of the state. Several members of the extended Castro family hold important government positions, though none (apart from PCC first secretary Raúl Castro) were granted seats on the PCC’s Central Committee during the Seventh Party Congress in 2016, and none currently serve on either the Council of Ministers or the Council of State. State employees who express political dissent or disagreement with the authorities often face harassment or dismissal. Professionals dismissed from their jobs in the state sector have difficulty continuing their careers, as licenses for professions are not available in the private sector. B4 0-4 pts Do various segments of the population (including ethnic, religious, gender, LGBT, and other relevant groups) have full political rights and electoral 0 / 4 opportunities? https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-world/2020 6/19 4/30/2020 Cuba | Freedom House The PCC leadership has exhibited greater gender and racial diversity in recent years. However, since political rights are denied to all Cuban citizens, women and members of minority groups are unable to choose their representatives or organize independently to assert their political interests. At the 2016 party congress, the proportion of women on the PCC Central Committee rose to 44.4 percent, from 41.7 percent in 2011. Afro-Cubans accounted for 35.9 percent, up from 31.3 percent in 2011. Women also now hold more than half of the 605 National Assembly seats and make up almost half of the 31-member Council of State; Cubans of African and mixed-race descent make up about half of each body. Half of Cuba’s six vice presidents are black, and three are women. Additionally, the Afro-Cuban Communist party stalwart Esteban Lazo simultaneously holds the powerful positions of National Assembly president (since April 2018) and head of the Council of State (since October 2019). The political interests of LGBT+ people are not well represented.
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