At Stake in this Election: 

• All 470 seats of the Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Miguel DÍAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 19 April 2018) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Manuel MARRERO Cruz (since 21 December 2019) 

• Assembly: Unicameral National Assembly of People’s Power (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular) with 470 seats 

Electoral System:  

• The President is indirectly elected by the assembly and may serve up to two 5-year terms. 

• The Prime Minister is nominated by the president and confirmed by the assembly. 

• Members of the National Assembly of People’s Power are directly elected by absolute majority vote in multi-member provincial constituencies and serve 5-year terms. 

• Cuba is a one-party state, and all candidates are nominated by government bodies controlled by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).  No other political parties are officially recognized or permitted to operate in Cuba.   

• Candidates are nominated by the municipal, provincial, or national assemblies, then approved by the National Electoral Commission. Voters receive a ballot listing an approved candidate for each seat in their constituency and may vote for as many as they prefer.  If the approved candidate is not elected, the seat is left vacant until the next election is declared. 

Last Election: 

In 2018, Communist Party-approved candidates won 605 seats in the National Assembly of People’s Power. Voter turnout was 85.65%. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

In 2019, the assembly passed a law reducing the number of assembly seats from 614 to 470. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 20 January 2023 (start of candidate approval process) 

• Voter registration deadline: 25 February 2023 (end of voter roll review window) 

Main Candidates in this Election:  

• Communist Party of Cuba / Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC) 

• Leader: Miguel DÍAZ-CANEL Bermudez 

• Seats won in last election: 605 out of 614 

• The remaining 9 seats were left vacant. 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 10,985,974 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 8,639,989 (2018 est.) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 5,692,215 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 6 March 1980, Ratified 17 July 1980 

• Gender Quota:  No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 313 out of 586 (53.4%) in the National Assembly of People’s Power  

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.764, High, Rank 83 (2021 est.)  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A (2019 est.) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 26 April 2007, Ratified 6 September 2007 

• Projected population with a disability: 351,551 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Cuba: No   

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 1 judgement & 3 resources