All 470 candidates (see note 1) were elected for the 470-seat National Assembly of the People's Power (down from 605 in 2018, see note 2). The percentage of women further increased to 55.74% (up from 53.22%). In 2023, 75.87% of 8.1 million eligible voters turned out, down from 82.90% in 2018. The newly elected National Assembly of People’s Power convened on 19 April and re-elected Mr. Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández as its President. It also re-elected Mr. Miguel Díaz-Canel as the President of the Republic.

The 2023 elections were the first to be held under the country’s new Constitution, adopted by referendum in 2019 (see note 3). The elections followed the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered an unprecedented economic crisis. Inflation hit nearly 40% in 2022, and the country experienced shortages of fuel, electricity, food and medicine.

Note 1:
Under the Cuban political system, the political affiliation of candidates and members of parliament is not recorded. The 2019 Constitution (article 5) continues to refer to the Communist Party of Cuba as “the superior driving force of the society and the State”.

Note 2:
According to the Secretary General, Homero Acosta Álvarez, the statutory number of members decreased after the government changed the ratio of deputies to inhabitants of the country. Mr. Acosta Álvarez was quoted in Granma, the official voice of the Communist Party of Cuba (www.granma.cu). According to parliament, each MP represents 30,000 inhabitants. The electoral law requires there should be at least two members for each of the country’s 168 municipalities.

Note 3:
The 2019 Constitution replaced the 1976 soviet-era charter enacted under the then leader Fidel Castro. The President of the Republic may exercise the role for two consecutive periods, after which a person may not run for office again (article 126). One must also be under the age of sixty in order to be elected to a first term in office (article 127).