Cuba's President Raul Castro (L) and Cuba's First Vice-President Miguel Diaz-Canel are seen during the National Assembly in Havana, Cuba, December 21, 2017. The system is enshrined in the Cuban Constitution approved by referendum in 1976. "The PCC says it is influenced by the teachings of Cuba's 19th century independence hero Jose Marti and by Marxist-Leninist ideology. The congress also elects a Central Committee which in turn elects a Politburo, Cuba's most powerful political leadership body. The biggest is a network of neighborhood block committees, known as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), tasked with mobilizing support for the government and defending the political system against crime and "counter-revolution.

Source: Egypt Today March 11, 2018 17:26 UTC