Cuba's constitutional referendum in February displayed overwhelming support for the government. More than six million voted yes, while only around 706,000 voted no. The new constitution represents a step forward for the democratic, economic and social development of the country.
In a country of more than seven million voters, where the vote is voluntary, the participation was high, 84.41 per cent. Almost nine million Cubans participated in debating the reforms; some 133,000 meetings were held in neighbourhoods and work and study centres. The high level of participation is a signal that Cubans are keen to be active participants in changing their country.
This new constitution is a significant step towards involving Cubans in further stages of the Cuban revolution. The document, which replaces the 1976 constitution, brings considerable political, economic and social change. Shortly after voting, Cuba's president Diaz-Canel said the new law 'was a text for the present and the future of the island'.
Cubans knew what they were getting into and what was at stake. There was fear that the achievements of the revolution could be lost. However the essence of the constitution, the things that Cubans consider as achievements, are reflected there: the right to health, to education, to safe streets and dignified poverty.
'Most impressive was the massive participation of our young people,' an old Cuban friend told me. And young Cubans were the most inclined to change the constitution. The new law strengthens the place of children, adolescents and young people; they are a segment of the population whose rights are systematically violated in many parts of the world.
Cuban women have also been central actors in this process. According to official sources, women constitute more than 65 per cent of the island's electoral authorities. Cuban women have been demanding significant changes, and it seems the new constitution has reflected their demands. Women overwhelmingly supported the new constitution, which offers them new protections by recognising their reproductive rights. Until now, abortion in Cuba has been institutionalised and easily accessible, but not technically legalised.
In a society where machismo is still a problem, and sexual harassment is not uncommon, the new constitution also offers new forms of protection for women against gender violence, not only in a domestic context but also on the streets, and against workplace harassment.
"The new constitution responded to the most urgent demands from Cubans: expansion of individual rights and guarantees, strengthening of popular power, the promotion of foreign