Weekly Report - 25 October 2012 (WR-12-42)

The official line was that Cuban voters had delivered an expression of mass participatory democracy. But, while it is true that any other government in Latin America would be envious of voter turnout of 91.9%, in Cuba it is a serious disappointment. One vote attracted particular attention. Cuba’s spiritual leader Fidel Castro cast his vote, albeit by proxy. He also penned a stinging rebuttal in the self-proclaimed Communist party mouthpiece Granma of speculation in the foreign press that he might be dead or dying, complete with photographic proof of life.