The Marxist-Leninist Daily

Left: January 20, 2008, National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón casts his vote in the Cuban general election.
Right: Acting Cuban Head of State Raúl Castro gives speech on Moncada Day 2007 in Santiago de Cuba.
Bottom: May Day 2007, mass rally in Havana.

Victorious Full Slate Vote Expresses
Cuban People's Unity of Action

The victorious general election held in Cuba on January 20 culminated the call to go all out to vote for the full slate of candidates for election to the provincial assemblies and the National Assembly.

The full slate general elections were held based on the premise stated by Cuban National Hero José Martí "A lot can be done if we stick together," reiterated in President Fidel Castro's recent statement that the full slate vote "expresses the Cuban people's unity of action."

President of the Cuban Parliament Ricardo Alarcón said that the full slate vote guarantees a comprehensive representation of Cuban society in the assemblies of people's power. Speaking during the January 16 episode of the Cuban prime time TV show "The Roundtable" dedicated to the January 20 general elections, he said the full slate vote is a strategy that guarantees the inclusion in all government bodies of political leaders, representatives of social, religious organizations as well as academics, artists, workers, students, housewives, retired people, men and women in general, blacks and whites.

The Parliamentary President said that adopting such an electoral strategy also guarantees the continuity of a political system in which all the people can exercise their right to vote and participate directly or indirectly in the nomination of candidates.

Those elected will have no personal privileges at all, as has been the case for the thousands of others previously elected as district delegates, provincial assembly delegates, or parliamentary deputies over the course of 30 years, Alarcón stressed. He said the men and women elected to assume legislative positions do so on a volunteer basis as they do not receive a salary (they maintain their regular job). They are responsible to their constituents to whom they must report about their work, who are empowered to recall their representative at any time. He underscored the fact that in Cuba the vote is free, easy to exercise. In the case of provincial delegates or deputies, voters have the right to vote one, two, three or none of the candidates, and may even abstain if they wish, as voting is not compulsory.

Emphasizing the aim of maximum participation in the election, Alarcón noted that the vote takes place in over 38,000 voting stations, not on a weekday but on Sunday.

The wish for the majority of the Cuban people to participate in the vote for the full slate of candidates is based on the fact that in Cuba all citizens can vote, something, Alarcón said, that seems to be as commonplace and simple as the right to education and health care. However, it is not the same in other parts of the world, like in the United States, he added.

That wish is expressed in Cuba by means of the automatic, universal and free registration of voters; the list of voters is public and is under the people's control, "because here we know who can vote and where," he said.

At 9:00 am on election day, Comrade Fidel Castro sent a message to the Cuban people as they turned out across the country to vote, saying "I cast the full slate vote as a matter of conscience." In his message, Fidel noted he did not have to get soaked in the rain pouring in the western part of the country as a representative of the electoral commission picked up the sealed envelope containing the ballots and took it to his corresponding voting station. Instruction No. 3 from the National Electoral Commission stipulates that in those cases where an elector cannot attend the polling station due to physical impediment, they may request the assistance of the Electoral Desk to allow them to exercise their right to vote in their home or other location. The President of the Desk acts accordingly and appropriately, always ensuring that the Electoral Law is fulfilled and that the regulations concerning respect for secrecy are upheld. The two ballots completed by Fidel were deposited in the ballot box by Migdalia García, president of the Desk, who explained to the press that another 15 neighbors from the area had also requested the same cooperation.

Alarcón spoke to reporters after casting his vote. "I have voted as my conscience dictated me to," he told reporters gathered at the voting station.

Addressing the characteristics of these general elections, Alarcón said that like in previous polls, renovation is a key ingredient. "Approximately two thirds of the candidates are first time nominees," said the leader. "This is what guarantees the continuity of the Cuban Revolution."

The head of Cuba's National Assembly spoke about the candidates of his voting station, one of which is Ramón Labañino, one of the Five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters held in U.S. jails since 1998. Alarcón told the press "I voted for him and although the vote is secret, I openly say that I voted for the full slate of candidates."

Alarcón said that in the short lapse of time he was alone in the ballot box to cast his vote, he thought of those who can not cast theirs for one reason or another, and he thought of the Cuban Five. "I am sure they would have cast the full slate vote just as I did," said Alarcón.

"By March 5, the Parliament will have met to elect the Council of State and Cuba's President," Alarcón announced. A question from the media regarding whether Fidel would be re-elected as Cuban President, moved him to say "As a deputy I should be consulted on that decision, and my answer is "Yo voto por el con las dos manos (two hands up for him)."

Also on election day, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque said the general elections make the Cuban Revolution invincible.

After casting his vote in a Havana voting station, Pérez Roque stressed the high consciousness the Cuban people have developed over the past 49 years, during which they have faced constant U.S. threats and aggressions.

These elections not only strengthen socialism, they also are a proof of national unity, which reveals the patriotic and justice-seeking spirit of the people, said Pérez Roque.

The new parliament will have to adopt important laws that strengthen the Cuban state and take decisions that ratify aspects addressed by First Vice President Raúl Castro last July 26, in eastern Camaguey city, the foreign minister said.

It will be a parliament faithful to the mandate that the people have given it, a mandate of work to strengthen the Revolution and Socialism, he said.

TML expresses its warmest congratulations to the Cuban people on their successful election. Unity in action in defence of their nation-building project is the guarantee that it will prevail.

Results of Full Slate Election

On January 20, 8.23 million Cubans participated in the full slate general elections to elect delegates to the provincial assemblies and the members of the National Assembly (Parliament). Maria Esther Reus, President of the National Electoral Commission described the vote as very successful, saying that this figure represents 96 percent of the total 8.5 million registered Cuban voters.

In the Commission's preliminary report, announced during an episode of the prime-time TV show "The Roundtable," Reus explained that all 614 deputies to the National Parliament and all 1,201 delegates to provincial assemblies were elected as a result of the massive vote. The National Assembly elects 31 of its members to form the Council of State, the assembly's permanent organ and the highest representative body of the state. Elections to the national and provincial assemblies take place every five years.

Reus explained that out of all 8,230,832 ballots cast, 95.24 per cent were valid, 91 per cent favoured the full slate of candidates, 3.73 percent of the ballots were blank and 1.04 per cent were annulled. She pointed out that the results are very close to previous ones held last October 2007 and proved the commitment and participation of the people in the electoral process.

The administration of the elections can be evaluated as more than satisfactory, given the enthusiasm of the population and the discipline of all the electoral structures, said Reus.

The final result of the elections will be released in the coming days after all the counting of ballots is concluded. The final percent of voters could still increase as a result of these further tabulations, Reus pointed out.

As part of preparations to ensure a smooth process and maximum participation, a dynamic test was run January 11 across the island, which confirmed that the infrastructure was in place and ready for the elections to take place in all 38,353 electoral colleges of the country.

All 614 deputies elected, plus the 1,201 delegates to form the provincial assemblies were backed by over 2 million consultations made to the population and different social and grassroots organizations.

The January 20 vote was the second round in the Cuban elections which began in October 2007. Deputies to the city-level assemblies were elected in the first round.

Cuban Ambassador Holds Press Conference
on Cuban Electoral System

The Cuban Ambassador to Canada, Ernesto A. Sentí Darias held a press conference on the Cuban electoral system on January 18, at the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Ottawa

In his introductory remarks, the Ambassador emphasized that Cuba has been engaged in the process of elections -- established by law -- which is dedicated to the voting for representatives of "People's Power"; delegates to the municipal and provincial assemblies and deputies to the National Assembly.

The first electoral law issued after the January 1, 1959 revolution was number 1305. Adopted in 1976 as a part of the Socialist Constitution approved that same year, it guided the elections of that period and in 1979.

In 1982, the National Assembly of the People's Power (Parliament) adopted law number 37, which was applied in elections held until 1992. Starting at that moment, representatives were only elected directly and for a period of two and a half years; delegates to the districts that made up municipal assemblies elected the members of the provincial assembly and its deputies.

According to the constitutional reform of 1992, the direct vote was established to elect the provincial delegates and deputies. The term for municipal delegates was maintained at two and a half years and at five years for provincial representatives as well as the deputies.

The Cuban electoral system is one of the least studied outside the island, yet is probably one of the most "interpreted" by politicians and analysts around the planet, the Ambassador said, explaining why it is important to present information that will allow people to make a fair evaluation.

The start of the present electoral process was marked by the municipal general elections that took place last October, where delegates to the municipal assemblies were elected, the Ambassador explained.

The 13th process of general elections is divided into two parts. The first phase was the election of delegates to municipal assemblies that took place on October 21st and 28th, in which over 96 percent of Cuban voters participated (see TML Daily, October 12, 2007 - No. 161). Then, the second phase, to choose delegates to the provincial assemblies and to the National Assembly or Parliament, was scheduled for January 20, 2008. In this process of the general elections, elected candidates will be part of the governmental bodies for a five-year term.

In the case of delegates to the municipal assemblies, citizens vote for only one candidate or none. When it comes to the provincial delegates and deputies, a voter can vote for all, various, one or none.

The delegates and deputies are not professional politicians and maintain their normal working activities.

Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and other armed forces institutions have the right to be elected.

To vote in Cuba is a constitutional right and people over 16 are automatically included in the electoral rolls, except the mentally ill or those serving prison sentences, even when on parole.

Cuba's municipal and provincial bodies elect candidates for the National Assembly. Then, in March 2008, the elected legislature will select the 31 members of the Council of State, which in turn will choose Cuba's president and head of state. It took months of hard work to conclude this project of candidatures for the provincial assemblies and the national Parliament across the island.

Grass-root organizations such as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), the Cuban Workers' Confederation (CTC), the Cuban Women's Federation (FMC) and the Federation of University Students (FEU) nominated 50 per cent of the candidates while municipal delegates nominated the other 50 per cent.

There are 1,815 seats contested to form the Parliament and the 14 Provincial Assemblies of People's Power; 614 of them for the National Assembly (Cuban Parliament) and 1,201 for the provincial governments. According to information published in Granma newspaper, the list of candidates to be voted on in the January 20 general elections in Cuba, shows an increase in the number of young people standing for election.

Of the 614 candidates for the parliament, 374 (60.91 per cent) were born after the triumph of the Revolution in 1959. Another 134 (21.82 per cent) were under the age of ten. Only 106 candidates (17.25 per cent) experienced capitalism in Cuba.

After expressing their interest in running for election, the candidates were proposed by the electoral commissions from the 169 municipal assemblies (city councils) based on the careers and human qualities of the possible candidates before submitting them to the people for the January 20 vote.

In terms of continuity and renewal, 36.78 percent of the candidates (224) are incumbents in the current 609 member legislature. Therefore, a little over 63.22 per cent (385 legislators) will be newcomers in the new legislature of 614 members with the additional 5 members reflecting population growth.

42.16 percent of the candidates (265) are women and the majority (481) of candidates have university level education (78.34 per cent) and 127 (20.68 per cent) have a high school and/or technical degrees.

The Communist Party of Cuba is the vanguard organization of the Cuban nation and orients "common efforts" in support of the objectives of social transformations underway in the country, but it is not an entity that is part of the electoral process. The Party does not propose or elect candidates; as a political body, it does not intervene in competitive elections, but serves as the organizer and guarantor of transparency and true democracy in the process.

In Cuba, the people nominate and elect their representatives, taking into account the individual social merits of its citizens and not their party affiliation. The Cuban electoral system constitutes a genuine expression of participatory democracy through which the people nominate and elect their representatives.

Ricardo Alarcón, President of the Cuban National Assembly expressed that the constant threats of the U.S. government against Cuba and its insistence in harming our nation and dividing our people, is one of the main reasons to vote for all candidates in the upcoming national general elections on January 20, the Ambassador said.

"This plan created half a century ago -- aimed at causing unease, dissatisfaction, problems and difficulties -- is still valid and that is why it is so necessary that revolutionaries stay united and also to fight our own deficiencies and errors," Alarcón said.

"One crucial task of the municipal and provincial assemblies as well as the National Assembly [Parliament] is to work hard to eliminate all the problems and dissatisfactions that may affect the people they represent, to fight our deficiencies and errors and stay united," stated the Ambassador.

National Assembly Sets Work for 2008

On December 28, the Cuban National Assembly after two days of work in its 10 permanent commissions, met to sum up the achievements of the past year and discuss and vote on the main economic and social projects for 2008. The meeting was the tenth and last ordinary session of the Sixth Legislature, which began in 2003, before the election of its new members on January 20.

On December 27, Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque affirmed in the International Relations Commission that 2007 was a year of important victories for the Revolution's foreign policy, and of failure on the part of the United States to isolate Cuba.

Pérez Roque said that in 2007, Cuba's strategic victory over U.S. imperialism's attempts to isolate the Cuban Revolution was expanded, deepened and consolidated. Likewise, he said, opposition grew to the U.S. blockade against the island, given that in 2007, 184 countries -- one more than in 2006 -- in the UN General Assembly asked Washington to end that nearly 50-year-old policy.

Minister of Culture Abel Prieto affirmed that education, culture and sports are essential tools in the emancipation and development of human beings. In statements to journalists, he highlighted the idea recently put forward by singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez about taking art to the prisons, because it represents the antithesis of the models of exclusiveness currently in style in the world.

Alfredo Morales, minister of labour and social security, told members of the Economic Affairs Commission that in 2007, Cuba continued to qualify for the category of full employment given that for the fourth straight year, it had an unemployment rate that was under two percent.

Morales said that there are jobs in industries like construction, agriculture, educational and health services that must be filled in order to continue raising the country's social development. He said it was necessary to maintain an appropriate relationship between increased growth and average wages.

The December 28 meeting of the National Assembly was also addressed by acting head of state Raúl Castro. Cuban President Fidel Castro, while physically absent, addressed the National Assembly via a speech presented by Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón. TML is posting below the speeches by Fidel and Raúl.

Cuban President Fidel Castro's Message
to Cuban National Assembly

Please read the following message, addressed to the National Assembly, when you open the morning session.

You have no easy task on your hands. On January 1st, 1959, surrounded by the accumulated and deepening grievances that our society inherited from its neo-colonial past under U.S. domination, many of us dreamed of creating a fully independent nation where justice prevailed. In the arduous and uneven struggle, there came the moment when we were left completely alone.

Nearly 50 years since the triumph of the Revolution, we can justifiably feel proud of ourselves, as we have held our ground, for almost half a century, in the struggle against the most powerful empire ever to exist in history. In the Proclamation I signed on July 31, 2006, none of you saw any signs of nepotism or an attempt to usurp parliamentary powers. That year, at once difficult and promising for the Revolution, the unity of the people, the Party and State were essential to continue moving forward and to face the declared threat of a military action by the United States.

This past December 24, during his visit to the various districts of the municipality which honored me with the nomination of candidate to parliament, Raúl noted that all of the numerous candidates proposed by the people of a district famous for its combativeness, but with a low educational level, had completed their higher education. This, as he said on Cuban television, made a profound impression in him.

Party, State and Government cadres and grassroots organizations face new problems in their work with an intelligent, watchful and educated people who detest bureaucratic hurdles and inconsiderate justifications. Deep down, every citizen wages an individual battle against humanity's innate tendency to stick to its survival instincts, a natural law which governs all life.

We are all born marked by that instinct, which science defines as primary. Coming face to face with this instinct is rewarding because it leads us to a dialectical process and to a constant and altruistic struggle, bringing us closer to Martí and making us true communists.

What the international press has emphasized most in its reports on Cuba in recent days is the statement I made on the 17th of this month, in a letter to the director of Cuban television's Round Table program, where I said that I am not clinging to power. I could add that for some time I did, due to my youth and lack of awareness, when, without any guidance, I started to leave my political ignorance behind and became a utopian socialist. It was a stage in my life when I believed I knew what had to be done and wanted to be in a position to do it! What made me change? Life did, delving more deeply into Martí's ideas and those of the classics of socialism. The more deeply I became involved in the struggle, the stronger was my identification with those aims and, well before the revolutionary victory I was already convinced that it was my duty to fight for these aims or to die in combat.

We also face great risks that threaten the human species as a whole. This has become more and more evident to me since I predicted, for the first time in Rio de Janeiro, --over 15 years ago, in June 1992-- that a species was threatened with extinction as a result of the destruction of its natural habitat. Today, the number of people who understand the real danger of this grows every day.

A recent book by Joseph Stiglitz, former Vice-President of the World Bank and President Clinton's chief economic advisor until 2002, Nobel Prize laureate and bestselling author in the United States, offers up-to-date and irrefutable facts on the subject. He criticizes the United States, a country which did not sign the Kyoto Protocol, for being the largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world, with annual emissions of 6 billion tons of this gas which disturbs the atmosphere without which life is impossible. In addition to this, the United States is the largest producer of other greenhouse gases.

Few people are aware of these facts. The same economic system which forced this unsustainable wastefulness on us impedes the distribution of Stiglitz' book. Only a few thousand copies of an excellent edition have been published, enough to guarantee a margin of profit. This responds to a market demand, which the publishing house cannot ignore if it is to survive.

Today, we know that life on Earth has been protected by the ozone layer, located in the atmosphere's outer ring, at an altitude between 15 to 50 kilometers, in the region known as the stratosphere, which acts as the planet's shield against the type of solar radiation which can prove harmful. There are greenhouse gases whose warming potential is higher than that of carbon dioxide and which widen the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica, which loses as much as 70 percent of its volume every spring. The effects of this phenomenon, which is gradually taking place, are humanity's responsibility.

To have a clear sense of this phenomenon, suffice it to say that the world produces an average of 4.37 metric tons of carbon dioxide per capita. In the case of the United States, the average is 20.14, nearly 5 times as much. In Africa, it is 1.17, while in Asia and Oceania it is 2.87.

The ozone layer, in brief, protects us from ultraviolet and heat radiation which affects the immune system, sight, skin and life of human beings. Under extreme conditions, the destruction of that layer by human beings would affect all forms of life on the planet.

Other problems, foreign to our nation and many others under similar conditions, also threaten us. A victorious counterrevolution would spell a disaster for us, worse than Indonesia's tragedy. Sukarno, overthrown in 1967, was a nationalist leader who, loyal to Indonesia, headed the guerrillas who fought the Japanese.

General Suharto, who overthrew him, had been trained by Japanese occupation forces. At the conclusion of World War II, Holland, a U.S. ally, re-established control over that distant, extensive and populated territory. Suharto maneuvered. He hoisted the banners of U.S. imperialism. He committed an atrocious act of genocide. Today we know that, under instructions from the CIA, he not only killed hundreds of thousands but also imprisoned a million communists and deprived them and their relatives of all properties or rights; his family amassed a fortune of 40 billion dollars -- which, at today's exchange rate, would be equivalent to hundreds of billions -- by handing over the country's natural resources, the sweat of Indonesians, to foreign investors. The West paid up. Texan-born Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy's successor, was then the President of the United States.

The news on the events in Pakistan we received today also attest to the dangers that threaten our species: internal conflict in a country that possesses nuclear weapons. This is a consequence of the adventurous policies of and the wars aimed at securing the world's natural resources unleashed by the United States.

Pakistan, involved in a conflict it did not unleash, faced the threat of being taken back to the Stone Age.

The extraordinary circumstances faced by Pakistan had an immediate effect on oil prices and stock exchange shares. No country or region in the world can disassociate itself from the consequences. We must be prepared for anything.

Martí taught us that "all of the world's glory fits in a kernel of corn." Many times have I said and repeated this phrase, which carries in eleven words a veritable school of ethics.

Cuba's Five Heroes, imprisoned by the empire, are to be held up as examples for the new generations.

Fortunately, exemplary conducts will continue to flourish with the consciousness of our peoples as long as our species exists.

I am certain that many young Cubans, in their struggle against the Giant in the Seven-League Boots, would do as they did. Money can buy everything save the soul of a people who has never gone down on its knees.

I read the brief and concise report which Raúl wrote and sent me. We must not waste a minute as we continue to move forward. I will raise my hand, next to you, to show my support.

It Is the Responsibility of All Cubans
to Make the Revolution Stronger

- Speech by General of the Army Raúl Castro Ruz, First Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers, to the National Assembly of People's Power, on December 28, 2007, Year 49 of the Revolution -

We have had a good meeting on the Economic Plan and Budget approved for next year. Above all, it has been the briefest in history.

The objective of this speech is to share some reflections with you on the economic and social situation of the country.

Without any doubt this last year has been one of intense work with the active participation of all the people. Less than three months have gone by since the conclusion of the 215,687 meetings organized in the context of the discussion promoted by our Party, based on the concepts expressed at the central event for the 54th anniversary of the assault on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Garrisons.

When our Party called for reflections on what was posed on July 26 in Camagüey, the objective was not for us to get to know about problems. Really, the majority of them are known and I talked about many of them on that occasion, at least on the ones that we consider fundamental to the well-being of the population and the effective socioeconomic functioning of the country.

That our appreciation is correct has been confirmed by more than five million citizens in the meetings for study and reflection that took place during September and October, and described as needed and useful.

Many of the proposals refer to local problems or are related to the deficiencies and errors of specific people; so those will have to be confronted and solved in a direct manner where they are occurring.

In response, the different leadership levels of the Party, government, mass organizations and workplaces have been directed to immediately adopt measures to solve problems that do not have to wait for a higher decision, which has been taking place.

The principal and decisive aim of this great effort has been to find, with the conscious and active participation of the overwhelming majority of Cubans, the best solutions within the reach of the country's economic possibilities, given that, as I said recently, nobody here is a magician or can pull resources out of a hat.

Moreover, time is needed to study, organize and plan how to attain the proposed objectives with the greatest quality and efficiency. The former is not solely dependent on the will or interest of those involved in solving the problem; to a large extent it also depends on the availability of resources and the authority and qualities of the cadres involved and their constancy.

Experience demonstrates the importance of analyzing problems in an integral way, to conciliate decisions and act with rationality.

Of course, not all of the proposals and suggestions can be applied as a whole. A consensus will have to be forged decide the most rational and appropriate ones, as in more than a few cases, they are contradictory, and certain opinions reflect a lack of information, particularly in the economic sphere.

This process has ratified something fundamental: those occupying a leadership post must know how to listen and how to create an opportune environment for the rest to express themselves with absolute freedom. This is something that must be definitively incorporated into the style of work of every leader, in conjunction with the opportune instruction, criticism or disciplinary measure.

Our people receive information in many ways and work is ongoing to improve those ways and eliminate the harmful tendency to triumphalism and complacency, so as to guarantee that every compañero/a with a specific political or administrative responsibility systematically informs on their brief with realism, in a clear, critical and self-critical manner.

That is the objective of the recent TV/Radio "Roundtables" on national issues, with the presence of the heads of the agencies most centrally involved. These will continue to take place as long as there is something important on which to inform. The same thing should be done in the provinces and municipalities, not just by the media but also directly, in the barrios and in people's workplaces, where many problems can be solved or explained.

When Properly Exercised, Criticism Is Essential in Terms of Advancing

The national press has also contributed to an analysis of the issues that are vital to the population and the country's socioeconomic development. When it is properly exercised, criticism is essential in terms of advancing.

Many compañeras and compañeros are witness to the rigor with which the 1.3 million proposals put together from the 3,255,344 speeches made are being studied. They constitute a highly useful source of information both for the present and the future.

We are in agreement with those who have warned on an excess of prohibitions and legal measures, which do more harm than good. We could say that the majority of them were correct and just in their time, but more than a few of them have been superceded by life, and behind every incorrect prohibition lie a large number of illegalities.

In relation to one of the issues most raised in the meetings: food production and its high price; the country is working with the urgency that that vital matter requires, given its direct and daily impact on the life of the population, above all on those people with lower incomes.

There have been advances in the studies and we will continue to act, with all the speed that circumstances permit, so that land and resources are in the hands of those who are capable of producing with efficiency, so that they feel supported, socially recognized and receive the material retribution that they deserve.

I have not attempted to fully cover any one of the issues raised; we shall have to return to them time and time again. As we hoped, this has been a critical process, in which the majority of our compatriots clearly stated their support for our social system, the Commander in Chief and the Party.

Millions of Cubans expressed considerations and suggestions directed at improving our socialism. As I said a few days ago in Santiago de Cuba, it has been a sound demonstration of the people's high level of awareness and political culture.

What Particularly Interests Us Is That the Positive Performance of Macroeconomic Indicators Is Reflected as Much as Possible in the Household Economy

Progress in the economy is undeniable, expressed in the growth of the Gross Domestic Product in recent years, but what particularly interests us is that the positive performance of macroeconomic indicators is reflected as much as possible in the household economy, where everyday shortages are present.

Decisions directed at the gradual solution of different problems in education, health, transport, housing and recreation, just to name a few pressing issues, are being discussed, part of which may be resolved or at least improved in reasonable amounts of time, above all those stemming from subjective causes. The most important of these issues was addressed in the reports given to the deputies for this session of the Assembly, and which were previously thoroughly debated in the commissions.

The solution to many difficulties requires increasing the effectiveness of the investment process. Priorities must be established, labor and resources must be better organized and modern technology must be introduced. This effort should contribute to increasing productivity. And something essential: any investments begun must be concluded in the set time frame, otherwise resources are mobilized without any benefits being seen.

Various other complex matters, such as the existence of two currencies and deformations in the systems of wages and prices, require thorough study, which will be undertaken with the moderation, rigor and responsibility they deserve.

We should determine, with the active participation of everyone, what -- under our conditions -- are the most effective channels for ensuring sustained growth in national production and the country's export capacity, reducing imports and investing our resources in well-defined priorities, for systematically seeking productive efficiency and improving the enterprise system linked to performance. Moreover, we are obliged to defend the country's credibility with respect to its creditors, and to guarantee the necessary resources for investments that ensure a perspective of development.

As was said here, conservation is one of the greatest sources of resources for achieving what I have mentioned, but some citizens, groups of workers and institutions still have an insufficient awareness of its importance.

The criticism of the population is a just one regarding the irrational use of resources in certain state entities due to disorganization, a lack of oversight and exigency, while at the same time social and economic needs remain pending.

However, as I explained in Camagüey, not all problems and shortages are due to internal deficiencies. There is also the influence of an international economic situation that we cannot avoid, characterized by accelerated growth in the prices of the fuel and food that we buy, just to mention two basic lines, although in reality, almost everything we import has gone up in price and will keep going up.

In addition to that, as we know, there are the losses resulting from the economic blockade of Cuba and the need to deal with the consequences of natural disasters produced by climate change, which are growing in magnitude and frequency. Suffice it to point to just one of the climatological events in the eastern part of the country, where were forced to spend an unforeseen $499 million.

Nobody Doubts the Firm Conviction Demonstrated by Our People in the Fact That Only Socialism Can Overcome the Difficulties

As we can see, the challenges we have before us are enormous, but nobody doubts the firm conviction demonstrated by our people in the fact that only socialism can overcome the difficulties and preserve the conquests of almost a half century of Revolution.

A Revolution that belongs to all of us, given that it was born and has grown thanks to the efforts and sacrifice of many generations of patriots. Making it stronger every day until it is invulnerable in every aspect depends on the hands and consciousness of all of us, the Cubans of today and of tomorrow.

It would be suicide not to behave that way in response to a U.S. administration that, as compañero Alarcón has just explained, has intensified its aggressiveness against Cuba in order to satisfy the interests of the most extremist groups in that country.

Evidence of that is the intensification of the economic war as part of the reinforcement of the Bush Plan, which includes measures for putting on pressure and desperate and unsuccessful attempts at destabilizing the country, in order to mount new pretexts for justifying its hostile policy, against which there is increasing international opposition, including among ever-growing layers of U.S. society itself.

Our people take every threat very seriously. That can be seen by Operation Caguairán, which has made it possible to train approximately 430,000 reserve combatants and militia members, as well as other essential tasks like the modernization of our armament, the preparation of the theater of military operations, important maneuvers and the recently-concluded Moncada 2007 exercise, all of which substantially strengthen the country's defense capacity and lay the foundations that will contribute to the successful execution, at the end of next year, of the strategic exercise Bastion 2008.

Given the intensification of subversive maneuvers and efforts to isolate us internationally, internal stability has been preserved, the country has continued to consolidate its socioeconomic development, and the international prestige of the Revolution has been strengthened.

During the year, as has been mentioned here, significant progress was made in the implementation of strategic programs, which has had a positive repercussion on the economy and on improving our people's living conditions, such as the "energy revolution," to cite just one example.

On the political level, the immense majority of Cubans resoundingly demonstrated their determination to preserve and defend the Revolution during the elections for People's Power delegates this past October, and we are sure that it will be that way this January 20, when we elect our delegates to the Provincial Assemblies and the deputies that will comprise our National Assembly.

In the presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement, Cuba maintained its vitality and influence in important multilateral processes.

Once again, the U.S. government, despite enormous efforts, was unable to impose its attempts to condemn our country in the field of human rights, while at the same time it received a crushing defeat in the United Nations General Assembly record vote against the blockade.

The recent visit by President Chávez, the PETROCARIBE Summit and the progress made by the ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas) have been important steps in consolidating regional integration mechanisms.

Our work in the coming year should be characterized by its systematic character; effective organization, planning and control; working for priorities and using resources rationally; increasing labor productivity and efficiency; and strengthening integration, cooperation and unity in the leadership activities of state agencies, the government, the Union of Young Communists and mass organizations on every level, in order to face together, under the leadership of the Party, the main problems affecting our people.

In the name of our Commander in Chief, of the Central Committee of the Party and of the members of this Assembly, we transmit to our compatriots well-deserved congratulations, despite all the difficulties and aggressions, for everything we have done to successfully arrive at "Year 50 of the Revolution," which doubtlessly will also be one of modest victories in every aspect.

The deputies that make up this Sixth Legislature have known how to comply with the mandate of our people and deserve our recognition. Some of you have been newly nominated, others will no longer serve in this capacity and will continue to carry out your usual work, because as it is known, nobody earns one cent for being a member of this Assembly. I can assure all of you that one thing that won't be lacking is plenty of work.

Whatever the responsibility entrusted to us, we will rise to the level of the trust that our heroic people have placed in us, and to the honor of being soldiers of a Revolution led by a Commander in Chief who, with his example and wisdom, has always led us to victory.

Being worthy of a people who for decades has faced, with courage and stoicism, every danger and difficulty; a people whose youth are demonstrating that they are acting in accordance with their glorious history, with one true example being that of our five heroes imprisoned by the empire, who next year will complete 10 years of unjust punishment in U.S. prisons.

I wish all Cuban men and women a happy 2008. Celebrate, rest, recover your strength, you deserve it.

Victorious Full Slate Vote Expresses Cuban People's Unity of Action

Victorious Full Slate Vote Expresses Cuban People's Unity of Action

Results of Full Slate Election

Cuban Ambassador Holds Press Conference on Cuban Electoral System

National Assembly Sets Work for 2008

Cuban President Fidel Castro's Message to Cuban National Assembly

It Is the Responsibility of All Cubans to Make the Revolution Stronger

When Properly Exercised, Criticism Is Essential in Terms of Advancing

What Particularly Interests Us Is That the Positive Performance of Macroeconomic Indicators Is Reflected as Much as Possible in the Household Economy

Nobody Doubts the Firm Conviction Demonstrated by Our People in the Fact That Only Socialism Can Overcome the Difficulties

Victorious Full Slate Vote Expresses
Cuban People's Unity of Action

Victorious Full Slate Vote Expresses
Cuban People's Unity of Action

Cuban Ambassador Holds Press Conference
on Cuban Electoral System

Cuban President Fidel Castro's Message
to Cuban National Assembly

It Is the Responsibility of All Cubans
to Make the Revolution Stronger