How is the process of offering positions to people who occupy which position in Cuba? Who determines whether the report submitted by the outgoing leader reflects all the shortcomings of his management? The answer appears to lie in the fact that the regime has set up a revolving door on charges. Those who leave, in most cases, do so only to re-enter.
That’s what the late Fidel Castro did for decades; This is what many leaders have done over the years, including Esteban Lazo, who was approved on April 19 as president of the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP) and the Council of State. That same day, Miguel Díaz-Canel left through the revolving door of the office of the President and entered to occupy it for five years. It was no surprise to Cubans, for whom the regime “saves the stress of choosing” who will govern them.
However, the problem is not just that the regime has put a revolving door on the charges. In fact, in the face of that criticism, you could argue that in democracies like the United States, a citizen can hold the presidency for two consecutive terms, as Díaz-Canel should. According to the constitution approved in 2019, he cannot be made the President for the third consecutive time.
The real problem, apart from the imposition of an ideology and a political party, is that transfer or succession in office is done through a commission that is not even remotely independent of power.
The plan for handing over and receiving the position is drawn up by a commission composed of cadres who are expected to be “identified with the ideology and moral principles of the Cuban Revolution (…), assume patriotic behavior and Follow the rules of socialist coexistence, according to the requirements established in Article 20 of Presidential Decree 208 of 2021 of the President of the Republic, according to the set of political ideas that characterize our revolution (…).
The third session of that rule, making reference to the delivery and receipt of charges, establishes that the said commission is to be made by the head or an authorized body. In other words, in the presidency of the republic and in the affairs of the ANPP and the Council of State, they were created by Díaz-Canel and Lajo, respectively. In turn, it was the images that were distributed as well as the ones receiving the fees.
According to Article 51, “The chairman of the distribution and reception commission, with the participation of its members, prepares the draft plan for distribution and reception, submits it for approval to the corresponding authorized head in the period provided for. It ( …)”.
Article 53.1 provides that “the cadre that makes the status report in writing to the Delivery and Reception Commission and conveys to the recipient the status of compliance with the objectives, tasks and pending issues, including those relating to defence, if applicable.” Highlighting the main current problems, as well as any other details that may be of interest”.
Can we expect, for example, that Esteban Lazo will admit in his report that the ANPP has not approved a norm regulating the rights to demonstrate and assemble for peaceful purposes in Cuba, for the exercise of which hundreds of thousands of people are killed? Cubans imprisoned? Can we expect Díaz-Canel to admit the failure of his economic management?
Can we expect the above commission to point out these shortcomings? His subordination to the stronger head, that is, to Díaz-Canel in the case of the Presidency, and to Esteban Lazo in the case of the ANPP and the Council of State, is improbable and in any case unbelievable. Article 55.3 of the aforesaid presidential decree states that “for the delivery and reception of the post to be valid, it is necessary that the minutes be signed by the cadre distributing the minutes, who receives them, the chairman of the distribution and reception commission” , and they are approved by the authorized head (…)”.
This means that, even if Díaz-Canel, Esteban Lazo and other Cuban leaders were not to succeed themselves in office, neither the commission nor the cadre receiving the office would bring any charges against the person who distributed it. does.
In countries with a multi-party system, a democratic election system, and a change of power, the opposition may rule on the report of those leaving office, regardless of whether the above commission belongs to the party that rules the country or occupies certain leadership positions.
In Cuba, everything stays at home and there is no need to point out the shortcomings that everyone has known about for decades. If there is any indication it is only to give some impression that the authority accepts the criticism and not the solution of the problems.
