is Cuba similar to Venezuela in that opposition parties can compete against the government? Or is the 'communist' party guaranteed power?
I know they've *had* power for a long time, I'm wondering if there are specific provisions that keep them in power, or if it's just the way things turned out. Any info is appreciated.
Raphael
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Yes, opposition parties can compete against the government. Cuba decriminalized the right to form other political parties besides the Communist Party in 1992. The Constitution of Cuba was amended in 2002 declaring Cuba a socialist republic. There are no specific provisions that keep the Communist Part in power. In fact, in the recent February 2013 elections, Cubans were urged to vote to amend the constitution to make Cuba "eternally" socialist. (I'm not sure of the outcome of whether or not this passed unfortunately).
Unbeknownst to most people, there are actually many political parties in Cuba. However, none of the parties (including the Communist Party) are allowed to campaign or publicize their existence. Therefore, most people only know of the Communist Party since it was the only political party on the island for over 30 years. The other political parties are all grassroots parties and have to assemble their numbers and votes via word-of-mouth "campaigning." In elections in Cuba, a candidate has to win at least 50% of the vote to be elected, and not just a simple plurality like in many countries, including here in the US (Bill Clinton never won 50% of the vote when he ran for president in 1992 and 1996 nor did George W. Bush in 2000; yet both men were still elected to the presidency). This would be extremely hard to do for any candidate that wants to run but cannot advertise their party or platform.
Since advertising and marketing are banned in Cuba, the only "advertisements"/billboards you see on the streets are political or social in nature. Since the overwhelming majority of them feature quotes by Fidel Castro and show pictures of revolutionary heroes, people automatically assume that those are signs of "advertisement" for the Communist Party. In a technical sense, that actually IS a sign of "advertisement" since Fidel led the party for several decades and that gives the a strong advantage in the minds of the general populace. But upon deeper and further reflection, you will note that none of them blatantly advertise or have anything to do with the Communist Party except show historical figures that worked with Fidel during the days of the Revolution. Rather, they feature slogans along the lines of "Defend socialism" or "Down with imperialism," which from an American political sense would be considered "communistic," but in a worldly and most importantly Cuban sense, rather reflect the themes of the Cuban Revolution.
Hope this helps!
?
Opposition is removed.