The process of popular consultation on the Draft Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, began on August 13, after the parliamentary debate presided over by Army General Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and by the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
Until November 15, Cuban citizens will have the opportunity to express their opinions and suggest changes, "a genuinely democratic and unusual step in the international arena, where the Constitution is presented to the people to give Yes or No in a referendum, without the opportunity to participate actively in the constitution of the text ", according to Cubahora, the country's first digital magazine.
The population has a favorable space for debate in the communities and student and labor centers, where they have the responsibility to improve the Magna Carta with their criteria and thus exercise their participation. "The Constitution establishes essential and minimum principles and values, which implies not covering and expressing in detail all areas of political, economic and social life", as specified in the Introduction to the analysis of the draft Constitution of the Republic.
The character of our socialist system remains irrevocable as it was at that beginning of the Revolution, although there are several changes, in correspondence with the new times. The Constitution not only includes press freedom as part of the individual rights of Cubans, but also forces the authorities and State agencies to publish the information they possess. On the other hand, one of the most controversial and debated articles among the population is Number 68. This section recognizes marriage as "the consensual voluntary union between two persons with legal capacity to do so". Many citizens do not agree, without thinking it means social inclusion and equal rights, and the new constitution precisely advocate for it.
Let's meditate on the most beneficial for society in general. Let's be more inclusive, more tolerant and less individualistic. It is not only about modifying the Constitution of a country, but about modifying the thought and actions of a people. I agree with the colleague Alejandra García Elizalde, when she expressed (Granma Newspaper, August 16) that the popular consultation on the draft Constitution is the most decisive civic test in recent years.
According to the document "Cubans must be aware of the commitment that implies, for present and future generations, the new Constitution of the Republic, forged by the people to give continuity to the Revolution and socialism."
