It is the people’s will

The Cuban government never saw these elections as a referendum. On the contrary, it always embraced elections as the way they should be seen: an exercise of socialist democracy. The enemies of the Revolution did align with the opinion trend that an allegedly abstention would mean the full-fledged rejection to a political system.

The preliminary numbers of popular participation have already ridiculed those who dreamed of the humiliation of the Cuban institutions: the majority of voters summoned, a resounding majority, went to the polls. And they did so despite the war of attrition to which the Cuban population is subjected by the package of sanctions imposed on Cuba. They did so in the face of destabilizing campaigns that had social networks as their epicenter. They voted despite false information that conditioned potential migratory benefits on the exercise of a citizen's right. They voted aware of the immense challenges facing the country; despite the rigors, the shortcomings, the daily struggles. They voted for hope, stability, improvement, for building a better future.

Those questioning the legitimacy of this democratic process cannot ignore that millions of Cubans went to poll stations voluntarily. They will try to establish the narrative that people went voting under pressure, threatened by a repressive machine. They know they are lying. No Cuban has ever suffered retaliation for not voting, because that is a right, not an obligation. And so the law endorses it.

Nor have idyllic electoral promises been made here. Candidates for deputies to the National Assembly of People's Power, in their meetings with voters, have heard dissimilar approaches, covering a wide spectrum of problems and aspirations. And their only commitment has been to work heavily in the search for solutions, based on the premise that it is a collective, consensual effort. And citizens have the possibility of assessing this management.

The new Cuban parliament has a daunting task ahead of it, which could not be taken on without broad popular support, without the legitimacy granted by the majority participation of citizens in the electoral process.

The people’s will have been expressed. It is not the victory of a government. It is the reaffirmation of a path, of a social project in constant improvement, of the concept of Revolution.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff