this electoral colleges The Cubans opened for voting at 7:00 am Spanish Peninsula time. referendum about new family codea legislative package to ratify same-sex marriage, surrogacy and Adoption by couples same sex and this island received the opposition of the Episcopal Conference.
Cuban President, Miguel Diaz Canel and his wife Lisa CuestaAccording to Cuban media reports, they voted at 7:48 am local time in School 3 of District 57 in the municipality of Playa de La Habana. Díaz-Canel on Twitter, “Today is the appointment of the future. #25Dec has arrived. A day that will change “everything that needs to change” in Family Law in #Cuba. See you at the ballot boxes. #CodigoYes”, Díaz-Canel posted on Twitter.
“This Code was born out of popular debate, out of a social need. In recent years, our society has become more heterogeneousCuban families changed and emerged new types of relationships. From legal norms to specific issues, there were treaties and debts. heritage and affectedand I think it’s fair that they’re taken into account at a time like this,” the president said in statements collected by the official CubaDebate website. For Díaz-Canel, “the expectation is not that there will be a unanimous vote, but yes, I think it will.” majority by our people.”
The ratification of the Family Law became the main obsession of the ruling sectors led by Díaz-Canel himself. intense social media campaign Encouraging votes in favor of the project under the slogan ‘The code is yes’ and even commemorating the day as a ‘holiday to Cuba’.
Although the referendum on the island began on Sunday, voting has already concluded abroad, where more than 22,000 people have already exercised their right to vote, including diplomats and those abroad for “official reasons”, according to official figures. vote.
Church, main competitor
One of the main groups opposing the renewal of the Family Law has been the Cuban Church, which has even begun to conform to the statements attributed to the Cuban independence leader. Jose Marti He defined “love” as “the fervent and unconditional attachment that an individual of one sex feels towards someone of the other sex”.
In this sense, the Church advocated marriage between them. man and woman are “natural” and since “this is the original plan of the Creator” it cannot be “displaced or deformed” to make room for other legal formulas. In mid-September, the Cuban bishops issued a proclamation. inconsistencies They accepted the legislative project because they thought that the “gender ideology” was not beneficial for families, as well as negatively considering the possibility that minors could assume their sexual identity.
With regard to adoption between same-sex couples, the Church condemns it as contrary to what a minor is “inherently corresponding to and needs”: father and mother”. “Each child is a gift and a purpose in itself; a child’s right to have a mother and father.” In the same vein, they also filed a criminal complaint against them. surrogacy is not ethical.
Despite this, Cuban bishops take into account the positive aspects, such as the rejection of domestic violence, the defense of rights and the care of the elderly population and the disabled. They also praised the protection of children and pregnant women.
Opposition Complaints
“However, this means that a significant segment of society has legitimate principles, values, human and biological sciences, Our people are our history, our traditions and our religious beliefs,” they drew attention from the Church.
For all this, the Cuban Episcopal Conference appealed to the “conscience and responsibility” of the Cuban people, whether they believe or not, so that they can vote conscientiously, not only for the present generation, but also for the future generations. “May our mother and our patron saint, María de la Caridad, intercede for each of her Cuban children so that we can make the best decision.”
Other voices criticizing the Government, such as Singer Yotuel Romero or the playwright Junior Garcia AguileraThey questioned the vote and advocated abstention, not because of its content, but because the authorities put “common sense” issues to a referendum while imposing other decisions on the island.
Similarly, the leading Cuban rival William Farinas While openly campaigning for ‘no’, he made sure to vote was “acknowledging an institutionalized fraud”. “Family Law is a hypocritical maneuver of emotional manipulation,” he said.