Cuba's National Assembly has adopted a new constitution that would recognise market economics yet keep the Communist Party firmly in control of the economy and the state. It will be voted on in a national referendum later this year. "After it's put to discussion and voted on, Cubans will be more united in their defence of the revolution," said President Miguel Diaz-Canel, wrapping up the two-day session. The president underscored that "every Cuban can freely express his or her opinions ... on a constitutional text reflecting the present and future of the nation". Yet those opinions cannot be voiced in a multiparty system. Article 224 reaffirms the socialist character of the Cuban political system, and the "guiding role of the one and only Communist Party". On the economic front, Cubans are reassured that "property is socialist and belongs to all people, while the economy is state-led". Ideologically, the constitution does drop a text saying that its goal was achieving a Communist society. Cash-strapped Cuba has been under a US embargo for more than four decades. Its main economic partner is now Venezuela. So the government in Havana - short on food, fuel and locally made goods - is keen to get new partners to take a chance on investing in the Caribbean nation of 11 million, even though it staunchly opposes too much concentration of wealth in too few hands domestically.<doc-sep>MEXICO CITY — Cuban lawmakers on Sunday approved a draft of a new Constitution that would seek to modernize the nation by recognizing the right to own private property and opening the door to the possible legalization of same-sex marriage, among other economic, political and social changes. The document would also encourage foreign investment and strengthen the judicial system, including recognizing the presumption of innocence. The draft Constitution would significantly reorganize the government. It calls for creating the position of a prime minister, who would share power with the president, and governorships for the nation’s provinces. Before it can become official, the document, which would replace the current 1976 Soviet-era Constitution, will be put before the public in a series of meetings around the country and then be voted on in a national referendum, a process expected to take months.<doc-sep>A draft of Cuba’s new constitution omits the aim of building a communist society, recognises private property and opens the door to same-sex marriage, although it keeps the Communist party as the guiding force of the one-party system. Cuba’s national assembly was this weekend debating a draft of the document to replace its Soviet-era constitution, reflecting political, social and economic changes designed to make its brand of socialism sustainable. Once lawmakers have approved the draft, it will be submitted to a popular consultation. The final document, which could include changes, will then be put to a national referendum. The draft omits a clause in the 1976 constitution on the ultimate aim of building a communist society, instead simply focusing on socialism. “This does not mean we are renouncing our ideas,” the president of the national assembly, Esteban Lazo, was quoted as saying by state-run media. Cuba had simply moved into a different era following the fall of the Soviet Union, he said. “We believe in a socialist, sovereign, independent, prosperous and sustainable country.” Unveiling the new constitution to lawmakers on Saturday, the secretary of the council of state, Homero Acosta, said it included the recognition of private property, a principle long stigmatised by the Communist party as a vestige of capitalism. That change should give greater legal recognition to the micro-businesses that have flourished following market reforms to the ailing state-run economy. They have fostered a small but vibrant private sector and attempted to attract more foreign investment. Cuba’s current constitution recognises only state, cooperative, farmer, personal and joint-venture property. The draft also appears to strengthen political institutions and create a more collective leadership structure, after nearly 60 years of rule by the late revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro ,and his younger brother, Raul Castro. Castro, then 86, handed over the presidency in April to his mentee Miguel Díaz-Canel, 58, although he remains head of the Communist party until 2021. He also heads the constitutional reform commission. Under the new constitution, the president will no longer be the head of the council of state and council of ministers. Instead, it creates the position of prime minister and designates the president of the assembly also as head of the council of state, Cuba’s highest executive body. One of the other top items at the assembly on Saturday was the recognition in the draft constitution of marriage as being between two individuals rather than a man and a woman. The draft also sets age and term limits for presidents, stating they must be under 60 when they first take office and can carry out no more than two consecutive five-year terms. Reflecting the desired gradual generational transition in Cuba’s leadership, Díaz-Canel named his cabinet at the start of the assembly meeting on Saturday, promoting two officials in their 50s to become vice-presidents alongside two sitting octogenarians and a septuagenarian. Díaz-Canel kept a majority of ministers from Castro including in the key posts of defence, the interior, trade and foreign relations, in line with his April promise to provide continuity. Marino Murillo, the head of the Communist party’s reform commission and previously one of the council of ministers’ vice-presidents, was the only senior figure omitted from the new lineup. Under Castro, Murillo spearheaded changes to the state-run economy and he remains head of the reform commission and a member of the political bureau. The reforms have slowed in recent years amid fears they have allowed some Cubans to enrich themselves, fostering inequality, and weakened the control of the state. This month Cuba issued regulations tightening control of the private sector and limiting business licences to one per person.<doc-sep>Cuba is set to become the latest country in Latin America to approve gay marriage, after the National Assembly on Sunday signed off on a new constitution that defines marriage as “the consensual union of two people, regardless of gender”. The new constitution, known as the Magna Carta – which also recognises private property for the first time since the Cold War – will be put to a referendum later this year. The news was met with elation by the LGBTQ community, many of whom were hopeful but not certain the measure would pass. “This is marvellous,” said Pablo Navarro, 70, who spent two years cutting sugar cane in a correctional labour camp in the 1960s because of his sexuality. “I feel proud that the new generation can enjoy this achievement even though we couldn’t.” “It’s a really important step forward,” said Yeandro Tamayo, 40, a gay theatre director from Havana, who watched the National Assembly debate the issue live on television. “I’ve never been interested in marriage, now they they have approved it, I might get married myself!” Legislators voted unanimously for the new constitution, replacing the current constitution’s definition of marriage as the “voluntary union between a man and woman”. The new constitution does not explicitly address the question of whether gay couples can adopt children, although experts say this will now likely be possible. Prior to the vote, popular campaigns both in favour of and against same-sex marriage led to rare, open political debate on the Communist-ruled island. Five of Cuba’s evangelical denominations published an open letter in June declaring that “marriage is exclusively the union of man and woman” and that “the ideology of gender has no relation with our culture, our struggles, or with the historic leaders of the Revolution”. Posters appeared in Havana featuring a husband and wife with two children that read: “I am in favour of original design – the family as God created it.” A poster opposing gay marriage is wrapped around a pole in Havana. Photograph: STRINGER/Reuters The pro-gay marriage campaign was led by Mariela Castro, the director of the National Centre for for Sex Education (CENESEX), a lawmaker, and daughter of former President Raúl Castro. CENESEX organised the “Conga against Homophobia and Transphobia” in March, in which thousands of revellers danced among gay pride flags and Fidel Castro banners. This “officialista” campaign was accompanied by a small group of around 100 LGBT activists who lobbied on social media, ran queer cinema screenings, and staged public performance art. “CENESEX has been educating and lobbying on this issue since 2007 and has been the main force here, but all of our actions have played a role,” said feminist militant Marta María Ramirez, 42, through joyous tears. “The National Assembly is now responding to specific demands of the people and not only to their own experiences as bureaucrats.” Cuba’s about-face on gay rights has been in train for decades.Employment discrimination because of sexual orientation is illegal in both the state and private sector. Legislation enacted earlier this year allows for steep fines and even the suspension of licenses for private employers who discriminate because of gender, race or sexuality. Sex-change operations were legalised in 2008 and are carried out at no cost to the patient. Cuban surgeons performed dozens last year. Elsewhere in Latin America and the Caribbean, same-sex marriage is legal in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Colombia. But homosexuality remains a criminal offence in seven Caribbean island nations.<doc-sep>
Cuba has published a summary of a new constitution likely to be approved by the national assembly later this week, which will recognize a right to own private property. Private property was banned after Fidel Castro and his Communist Party seized power in 1959, but sales have been permitted since 2011. The proposed new constitution would freely recognize all private property, as well as the free market, while maintaining a strong role for the government, state media say. Theoretically, the change could mean that foreign investors and private companies would have more legal protection in the state, but it’s unclear that the state will actually do more than recognize individual ownership. For example, according to Reuters, the Cuban government issued a regulation saying it would include property seizure as a possible fine for those who are self-employed earlier this week. Details of the constitution were not made widely available; a summary was only reported in Granma, the state-owned newspaper, which stated that the new constitution would almost double the number of articles in the document, which was written in 1976, bringing the total to 224. The Communist Party would continue to rule, but the new constitution would limit the amount of time presidents could serve to two five-year terms. The new legislation would also add a prime minister, who would take on the role as the head of government. Articles in the new constitution would also ban any sort of workplace discrimination based on gender, disability, and ethnicity, according to the BBC. LGBT activists are hopeful this means the country would be a step closer to legalizing gay marriage. The new constitution is expected to be revealed this week at a national assembly by president Miguel Diaz-Canel, who replaced Fidel’s brother, Raúl, in April of this year. It is expected to win approval, and then will go to a public referendum later this year. Fidel Castro died at the age of 90 in 2016.