Millions of Cubans start to elect new leadership

HAVANA — Millions of Cubans went to the polls on Sunday to elect more than 600 lawmakers to the island’s parliament, with the selected leaders representing a new generation in the Caribbean nation, marking a historical change.

More than 24,000 polling centers were opened throughout the country for Cubans to exercise their right to vote and to choose among the candidates for the National Assembly of People’s Power, a legislative body that in turn will elect the president of the country in April.

Cuba’s current leader Raul Castro, 87, announced to the parliament in December that he will not seek re-election for a third term of five years, which will open a new chapter in the nation’s history.

It would be the first time since 1976 that a person who does not have the last name Castro would likely be the president of Cuba since the 1959 revolution.

“I think the change of president will be good because that way we will have a leader with newer and current ideas,” said Rosalia Martinez, 22, a college student.

Analysts expected that Castro’s successor will be Miguel Diaz-Canel, the current first vice-president of the country. Diaz-Canel exercised his right to vote on Sunday in his home province of Villa Clara, central Cuba, where he was nominated.

If elected, Diaz-Canel, a 57-year-old engineer, would not bring about major changes, because he has defended political continuity on the island and maintained the socialist model, analysts said.

“The elected government will serve the people; the people will have a say in the decisions. This will be a government that responds to what the people want,” he told reporters after voting.

Late in the afternoon, the National Electoral Commission, or CEN, said more than 6.9 million Cubans had voted, representing 78.5 percent of registered voters.

Final results will be presented on Monday by the CEN at a news conference.

Cubans believe the process will deepen economic and social reforms started by Castro and also improve their daily lives.

“I think what the new government will do is continue working to improve what we have to do as a society, as a country, as a nation,” said Edgar Martin, a 40-year-old lawyer.

His wife, Iselda Damerafon, who also voted at a Havana school on Sunday, said the challenges of the new leaders will be even greater because it is not simply about assuming a post, but about defending the legacy of Fidel Castro and Raul Castro.