Some 175,600 students in Cuba will guard the ballot boxes in the national elections to be held this Sunday, the daily Juventud Rebelde reported today.
The president of the José Martí Pioneers Organization, Lianet Pazo, considered the participation of children in the electoral process as an expression of the present and future of the Cuban Revolution.
The top leader of the union that brings together the country's elementary and high school students, highlighted the responsibility and pride with which children are involved in this process.
He emphasized that their participation is a sign of the democracy of the electoral system of the Caribbean nation, unlike other countries where the ballot boxes are protected by the military.
Pazo explained that the pioneers made visits to homes to summon the population to the exercise of the suffrage, and in their collectives they developed special matutinos, and explanatory activities about the national elections.
He highlighted the success of a contest on the electoral theme, which showed from different artistic manifestations the experiences of the children in the custody of the ballot boxes in previous elections.
Since the conception of the current electoral system by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, the presence of students represents a symbol of confidence in the new generations and of the peaceful atmosphere in which voting takes place.
For this Sunday's voting, 470 deputies are nominated for the X Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power (Parliament), which will be responsible for electing the members of the Council of State, the president and vice-president of the Republic.