The Centre for Socio-Economic Studies and Democracy conducted a survey of over 1000 residents in Havana about their interest in establishing a pluralist system with multi-party elections and a free market economy. Cubanet said that 938 respondents reported that they were in favor of an open political system. Roberto Vasquez Diaz, one of the lead members of the survey said that 71.7% of the respondents were in agreement.
This research study comes as midterm elections are scheduled for April 19th according to Granma, the official state publication. Biographies of the candidates for the partial election will be distributed equitably for positions in the Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power. This is apparently a hallmark of the Cuban electoral process. 27,379 proposed candidates are slated to be on the ballot on April 19th. Biographic materials about the candidates have been made available in public spaces as campaigning is prohibited in order to guarantee equal access to the electorate says Granma.
http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2015-03-31/electoral-process-moving-forward
http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2015-04-06/midterm-elections-to-take-place-april-19
http://www.cubanet.org/noticias/cubanos-quieren-pluripartidismo-y-elecciones-segun-encuesta/
Officials for the Cuban postal service, Correos de Cuba were arrested and sentenced to jail for embezzlement. Sentences issued ranged between 1 to 10 years in prison according to Cubanet and Granma. The reported amounts of money embezzled were almost 1 million Cuban pesos and 30,000 convertible cuban pesos. Bank documents were forged, unjustified paymen other forms of fraud were corroborated by top officials. The former director of the Correos de Cuba was sentenced to 1 year in jail and the Head of Accounting received a five year sentence.
http://www.cubanet.org/noticias/empleados-de-correos-de-la-habana-a-la-carcel-por-malversacion/
Cubanet reported that seven Cubans escaped from an immigration detention center in the Grand Cayman last Sunday night. Eleven Cuban immigrants were waiting to deported when they attempted to escape. Five men were caught and the other seven are unaccounted for. There has been an increase of Cuban “rafters” recently as a result of the slow response to repatriation for the detainees by the Cuban government and the back log of detainees. Compass Cayman reported that there are 42 Cuban detainees being held in the immigration center.
http://www.cubanet.org/noticias/seis-cubanos-se-fugan-de-un-centro-para-inmigrantes-de-islas-caiman/
noticiassobrecuba 