In Cuba, We Haven’t Voted for a President in 60 Years

"In Cuba, We Haven't Voted for a President in 60 Years"
Cuban Dissident Reflects on Argentina's Historic Election
BELÉN MARTY DECEMBER 7, 2015 AT 12:11 PM

Mario Félix Lleonart Barroso is a Cuban dissident, activist, and
blogger, not to mention a Baptist preacher. The Cuban pastor spent 20
days in Argentina as a guest of the Liberty Foundation, observing the
presidential campaign and elections that took place on November 22.


The Baptist preacher expects that Cuban police will be awaiting his
arrival at airport. (Alina Tamayo)
It was the first time that Barroso, age 40, witnessed a presidential
election.

Excited by the day's events, Barroso wrote on his blog: "If the flitting
of a butterfly in Hong Kong can cause a storm in New York, what kind of
impact will Argentina's elections have on Venezuela on December 6 and on
Cuba the following year?"

The PanAm Post recently sat down with the Cuban activist in a café in
Buenos Aires to talk about his experience as an election observer.

What does it mean for you to come to a country where a presidential
debate is taking place?

Imagine this: I came to Argentina for an internship. The folks at
Liberty Foundation who invited me spent months organizing the trip. I
have a lot of important responsibilities in Cuba, however the timing (of
the internship) worked out great and I was able to participate at the
end of the year.

Yet, what nobody planned was that I would land on November 15, just as
the first presidential debate in the history of Argentina was taking place.

I'll be frank with you and admit my ignorance. I didn't know the debate
was happening in Argentina — that shows how isolated we are in Cuba. I
found out about the debate listening to it on the radio during my taxi
ride from the airport. That gave me perspective. The story captivated me.

I arrived at my hotel room, and the debate just ended. I couldn't sleep.
I waited until 1 a.m. to watch the repeat of the debate, despite being
exhausted from my flight. And from that moment, I haven't stopped.

On election day, the following Sunday (November 22), I was able to get
involved on the ground in Rosario, thanks to one of the officials for
the Let's Change coalition (of president-elect Mauricio Macri). I went
to various schools to see how the elections were transpiring. The
official managed to get me into one of the rooms where they counted the
votes. It was so emotional for me that I tweeted what I saw.

What are the elections like in Cuba?

In Cuba, the regime is very good at deceit on an international level.
Not only are they good at deceiving, they are very skillful at meddling
in the internal affairs of other countries, including Argentina, which
has only made things worse for these countries.

The regime is now trying to deceive the world with a false election.
They have created a parody, a farce.

In 60 years under this regime, Cubans have never voted for a president.
They claim they have a representative system, but the only thing we vote
for is delegates of our area, of our municipality, and, lastly, we vote
for delegates of the province.

The delegates of the province choose the representatives for the
National Assembly; we can't even vote for the that. And since Raúl
Castro took power (in 2008), the representatives of the National
Assembly of People's Power are the ones that vote for the president.

When Raúl Castro assumed power, he said that, if he was elected
president in 2010, the next election would take place in 2014. He said
that he would leave office in 2018, because a president can only be
reelected once.

But there is only one party in Cuba (the Communist party), so they will
vote for someone from that party.

So, in theory, Raúl Castro finishes his second term in 2018?

In theory, yes, and in reality. From a health perspective, it's unlikely
he would be able to continue past 2018.

What's it like living as a Cuban dissident on the island?

It's been an adventure learning how to live as a dissident. It's more
than that, though. If I don't look at it from that perspective, then I
wouldn't be able to take it. For example, when I return to Cuba,
state-security authorities will be waiting for me at the airport at
every entrance.

After that, what happens next is unpredictable. I'm prepared if they
send me to prison. When I return to the island, I'm always ready for the
possibility of being held captive for life.

I was born into a Baptist family in 1975, at a time when all religions
were looked down upon, so I have a strong rebellious streak in my makeup.

Can you describe your relationship with other dissident groups?

I am in a very comfortable position, because I'm a Baptist preacher and
I have requests to join different groups. I haven't joined a group so
that I remain neutral, and that has allowed me to have a relationship
with all opposition groups.

In August, Puerto Rico held the first National Cuban Meeting. I was
elected as one of the members of the commission. I received the most
votes of anyone. The commission's role is to organize the new Cuban
national meeting.

When will the next one take place?

It will probably occur around May 19, which is the day we commemorate
the death of José Martí, and May 20, which is Independence Day.

Translated by Scott Myers.


Belén Marty
Belén Marty is the Libertarian Latina, a journalist based in Buenos
Aires, Argentina. She has lived in Guatemala, Jordan, the United Arab
Emirates, and the United States and is a former candidate for local
office with Argentina's Libertarian Party. Follow @BelenMarty.
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Source: "In Cuba, We Haven't Voted for a President in 60 Years" -
http://panampost.com/belen-marty/2015/12/07/in-cuba-we-havent-voted-for-a-president-in-60-years/