Conventional Long Form: Republic of Cuba
Capital City: Havana Type of Government: Communist state Date of Independence: 20 May 1902 National Holiday: Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January (1959) Chief of State: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers General Raul CASTRO Ruz Head of Government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers General Raul CASTRO Ruz |
Description Of Executive Branch/Powers:
General Raul CASTRO Ruz is the President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers. The Vice President of Council of State and Council of Ministers is Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura. Council of Ministers is proposed by the President of Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 28-member Council of State, elected by the assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session. Elections for President and Vice President are elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term. Last election was helf on 24 February 2008, the next expected held election will be somewhere in 2013. Description Of Legislative Branch/Powers: The number of seats in the National Assembly is based on population. Members are elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms. Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed. Elections were last held on 20 January 2008 and the next expected held election will be on 3 February 2013. Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: The President, Vice President, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly. |
Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal
Name of Ambassor to the U.S.: NONE Location of Embassy in the U.S.: NONE Location of consulate in the U.S.: NONE Name of U.S. Ambassador: NONE Location of U.S. Embassy: NONE Location of U.S. consulate: NONE Name of Representative in UN: NONE Flag: The blue bands refer to the three divisions of the island: central, occidental, and oriental. The white bands describe the purity of the independence ideal. The triangle symbolizes liberty, equality, and fraternity. The red color stands for the blood shed in the independence struggle. The white star, called La Estrella Solitaria (The Lone Star) lights the way to freedom and was taken from the flag of Texas.
National Symbol: NONE
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