Cuba publishes official figures of Constitutional referendum

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 1 (ACN) The National Electoral Commission (CEN) announced in this capital the official results of the constitutional referendum of last February 24 in which 6,816,169 citizens gave their approval to the new constitution of the Republic of Cuba.

Alina Balseiro, president of the electoral body, reported on Cuban television that after the process of validating the updated lists of voters, the electoral roll was 8,705,723 people, of whom 90.15 percent exercised their right to vote.

The official pointed out that the Yes voters represents 78.3 percent of the updated list of voters, while 706,400 voted No, which means 8.11 percent of that list.

Balseiro explained that on this occasion there were a significant number of people included because they exercised their vote in a place other than their residence or in the 198 special schools that were enabled in places of high concentration of people such as air terminals, buses and railways, boarding schools and shelters, among others.

The president of the CEN pointed out that these results include those of the vote cast abroad by Cubans who are fulfilling a state mission.

In a massive, transparent and optimistic manner, millions of Cubans went to the polls last Sunday to answer the question: Do you ratify the new Constitution of the Republic, to which the voter had to answer yes or no?

The new Magna Carta ratifies the irrevocable character of socialism in Cuba and the leading role of the Communist Party and introduces adjustments in the forms of management of property, compliance with the law, the concept of family and the recognition of rights.