First Published Sep 27, 2022, 10:45 AM IST
RaA referendum was held in Cuba to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption. 66.9 percent, or 3.9 million people, voted in favor of legalizing them, while 1.95 million (33 percent) voted against. Commission President Alina Balseiro Gutierrez announced on state television that two-thirds of the country’s voters approve the law. Millions of people voted in favor of the referendum, but foreign media reported unusual opposition from the evangelical movement gaining strength in communist-ruled Cuba. This is also the first poll to be held after internet services became widespread in the country. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted that ‘justice has been served’ when the results of the vote count were announced.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel added that many generations of Cuban men and women are paying a debt they have been waiting for years to prepare for family planning under the new law.
The 100-page ‘Family Code’ legalizes same-sex marriage and civil unions, and the new law allows same-sex couples to adopt children. It also promotes equal sharing of household rights and responsibilities between men and women.
Legally, this is a law that could lead to major social progress, and Cuba has gained credibility through a referendum. Preliminary results from the Electoral Commission indicated that 74 percent of the 8.4 million Cubans who were eligible to vote participated in last Sunday’s referendum.
The referendum was not led by an independent observer. However, citizens were given an opportunity to monitor the figures at their respective locations. Local figures published on social media are in line with the official results, according to reports.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced the results of a referendum on the new law in an emergency meeting ahead of Hurricane Ian, which was barreling through western Cuba. The campaign for the new ‘family code’ was also led by Miguel Diaz Canal.
Foreign media reported that 33 percent of people in Cuba, which still has a unified communist regime, opposed it, even though it was approved by a majority in the poll, and foreign media reported.
33 percent voted against it, compared to unanimous approval in government referendums introduced in previous years. The foreign media observed that the government may lose its upper hand over the people in Cuba and that the people are ready to register their disagreement against the government’s instructions.
It was also observed that the new result indicates a change for Cuba. Currently, people are standing in long queues for food, medicine and fuel. Meanwhile, power outages and economic recession make people’s lives very difficult.
In recent years, the government in Cuba has eased public restrictions and implemented programs to encourage the private sector.