Democracy in Cuba? Some notes to break the myth

Abstract

The Cuban government insists that its political regime is democratic. However, when analyzing the theoretical proposals of political scientist Leonardo Morlino to understand the quality of this democracy, we not only find a democracy lacking quality or deficient, which is in a constant struggle to maintain itself; but we are facing a political system in which the economic and social distances among the population increase dramatically, instead of decreasing. And where the official discourse is completely divorced from the reality of Cubans. The concentration of wealth; the strict control of the media; repression of the slightest dissent; the unification of the legislative power, judicial power, and political power focused on the Communist Party and consequently on Fidel Castro/Raúl Castro/Miguel Díaz-Canel, are the main characteristics we find in this political system that calls itself democratic but in reality, does not meet its basic features. This conclusion is based on the observation of the dimensions proposed by Morlino (2009): Respect for the law, Accountability, The ability of rulers to respond to the demands of the governed, Freedom, and Equality.