Despite Rains, 54.82 Percent Voted in Cuban Referendum

National Electoral Council vice-president Tomás Amarán told the press that this figure, closing at 2 p.m. local time, represents 54.82 percent of the total number of registered voters on the updated voter list.

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María Esther Bacallao Martínez encouraged the population to continue going to the polling stations which will remain open until 18:00 hours because every vote counts.

Bacallao reaffirmed that the electoral roll is being updated during the course of the day and that the results of the referendum, based on this update, will be announced at a later press conference. The electoral leader pointed out that no significant incidents have been registered and that the population is going to vote with tranquility and discipline.

She highlighted the participation of young people in the referendum, who are responsible for the voting tables and other instances involved in the suffrage, in addition to the fact that they supported the creation of the computer application that consolidates the data issued from each municipality.

Previously, the CEN reported that more than 16% of the almost 8.5 million Cubans called to vote this Sunday in the referendum for the Family Code had gone to the polls by 09H00 local time.

Tomás Amarán Díaz, vice-president of the CEN, informed that by 09H00 local time (13H00 GMT) 16.31% of the people registered in the electoral roll had voted.

Cuban citizens started this Sunday the referendum to approve or reject the new Family Code, which takes affection as the fundamental axis of family relations.

She clarified that in the case of the municipality of Guáimaro, in Camagüey, there were four constituencies that did not enter on time and the voting data will be incorporated in the next report.

On the other hand, he reminded that in addition to the 23,000 ordinary polling stations, there are other special ones -more than 200- and that, although it is usual for people to go to the polling station closest to their place of residence, it is possible to cast the vote in another polling station and for that, the voter only has to show his/her ID card, regardless of whether he/she lives in that circumscription or not.

Among those who have already gone to their polling station are the President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and his predecessor, Raúl Castro, as well as other members of the Executive and Legislative branches.

He reminded that these strategic points are located in places of great concentration of people such as terminals and hotels, and many of them are in Havana.

The polling stations opened their doors at 07:00 local time (11:00 GMT) this Sunday and will be operating until 18:00 local time (22:00 GMT).

According to figures offered by the president of the National Electoral Council (CEN), Alina Balseiro, more than 23,000 polling stations were installed nationwide in order to give Cubans the possibility to decide whether this law is approved or not.