[:es]Cubans Discussing the Constitutional Reform Is a Democratic Exercise[:]

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Santiago de Cuba, Jul 27.- The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Raul Castro, said on Thursday that putting the draft of the new Constitution up for people’s discussion starting early August is an exercise of democracy.

 

The party leader was speaking at an event held in Santiago de Cuba on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the assault of the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes garrisons.

Raul Castro recalled that after this process, scheduled from August 13 to November 15, to gather views and proposals the people might have, the document will be analyzed again in Parliament that will write the final draft. Then, it will be submitted to a referendum by secret and direct vote of each citizen for its approval and subsequent proclamation.

The Constitution is the most important legal and political document of every country since it defines the nation’s foundations, the structure of power and its scope. It also guarantees the rights and duties of citizens, he said.

In another moment of his intervention, Raul Castro rejected the criminalization of left forces and the political persecution of progressive leaders in Latin America.

In this regard, he demanded the immediate release of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who leads voters’ intentions in Brazil ahead of the presidential election on October 7.

The Army General ratified the unwavering solidarity of the Cuban people, party and government with the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela and the Nicaraguan Government headed by President Daniel Ortega, which are both counteracting aggressions by sectors of the international right.

Likewise, the Cuban leader congratulated Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for his victory in the presidential elections held recently in Mexico.

Revolutionaries should always keep unity and maintain the struggle, being fully aware that the adversary never gives up in the effort of restoring the model of exclusion and exploitation, he assured.

The event was attended by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, the PCC’s second secretary Jose Ramon Machado Ventura and local authorities from the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba.

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