Cuba Attentive to Electoral Process and Forest Fire

Havana, Feb 25 (RHC) Preparations for the elections for deputies to the National Assembly of People's Power (parliament), and a severe forest fire caused by drought were the focus of attention in Cuba during the week.

The National Electoral Council (CEN) is making progress in the preparations for the national elections to be held in the country next March 26, on the premise of guaranteeing the reliability, transparency, celerity, publicity, and impartiality of this democratic process, according to Alina Balseiro, president of that body.

With this objective, all instances are working on the completion of the electoral authorities participating in the process, the training of supervisors, collaborators, and specialists, as well as the control of organizational tasks in the territories.

As foreseen, more than 200 thousand people with electoral authority will take part in the process, and this time there will be a total of 23 thousand 647 polling stations.

As part of this program, the publication of the photos and biographies of the candidates for deputies began in the most popular places in each constituency (basic cell of the government system in Cuba) and this Saturday the process of publication, verification, and updating of the voters' lists should be concluded.

Meanwhile, for the third consecutive week, after they were nominated in assemblies in the 168 municipalities of the country, the 470 candidates for deputies continue holding meetings with representatives of economic and social sectors throughout the island.

The purpose of these meetings and contacts with the population is to explain this process of socialist democracy practiced by Cuba and to get even closer to the reality of the communities, and listen to the criteria and suggestions of the citizens to strengthen the links between voters and their representatives.

At the same time, throughout the week, firefighters, forest rangers, members of the armed forces, and volunteers fought relentlessly, supported by airplanes and ground equipment, against the flames in Pinares de Mayari, a large area in the eastern province of Holguin.

The fire, still uncontrolled, began a week ago in several areas due to the intense drought that has affected the country for months, the remarkably high temperatures for this time of the year, and the strong winds that fuel the flames.

According to preliminary data, the intricate nature of the area where the fire broke out makes it even more difficult to combat the fire, which has consumed some 600 hectares although no human casualties have been reported.

According to the authorities, the losses are considerable, since it is an area that includes the Mensura Piloto natural park, a refuge for valuable flora and fauna species and one of the most important sites in the country for nature tourism. (Source: PL)