Cuba's New Family Code is Approved After Referendum

On Monday, the National Electoral Council (CEN) President Alida Balseiro confirmed that the new Family Code was approved by the Cubans who participated in the referendum that took place on Sept. 25.

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Nearly Six Million Cubans Participated in Referendum

The option in favor of the approval obtained 3,936,790 votes, that is, 66.87 percent of the votes cast. The option against the Family Code, on the other hand, received 33.13 percent.

The number of Cubans who were enabled rose to 8,447,467. Of this amount, 6,251,786 people effectively exercised their right to vote. The number of valid ballots, however, was 5,892,705, according to the CEN preliminary data.

The referendum on the Family Code was the first process of direct consultation with citizens on a specific law that has been carried out since the triumph of the revolution in 1959. During the process of formulating its text, the participation of Cuban society did not it was unprecedented and involved thousands of meetings of grassroots organizations.

The Family Code, which reforms and expands the family law that was in force since 1975, contemplates equal marriage, surrogacy, the adoption of children by homosexual couples, the prohibition of child marriage, and the promotion of comprehensive policies to address the gender violence.

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel referred to the new Family Code as "a fair, necessary, updated, and modern norm, which grants rights and guarantees to all people and to the diversity of families."

Prior to the Sept. 25 referendum, the Catholic Church, evangelical churches and sectors of the political opposition campaigned against the new Family Code, considering that it was not compatible with their values ​​and beliefs.