The Parliament of Cuba will elect the President and Vice President of the Republic on October 10, but before that the deputies will vote for the integration and ownership of the Council of State.
It is the collegiate body that represents the National Assembly of Popular Power between sessions, executes its agreements and fulfills other functions that the Constitution and the law attribute to it.
This is stated in the Magna Carta approved in April, whose article 121 provides that the president, vice president and secretary of the National Assembly of Popular Power are in turn the State Council, which cannot be integrated by members of the Council of Ministers nor the highest authorities of the judicial, electoral and state control bodies.
The election, like that of the highest state offices in the nation, was preceded by the approval in July of the new Electoral Law and the bureau of the National Candidacies Commission.
This body developed a consultation process with the deputies of the island between September 18 and 22.
It was an occasion to gather proposals on those legislators who must integrate the candidacy projects and will be submitted to Parliament for consideration this October 10.
Among the powers of the State Council is to ensure compliance with the Constitution and laws, issue decree-laws and agreements, and arrange for extraordinary sessions of Parliament.
Also summon and agree on the date of the elections to renew the National Assembly of Popular Power and municipal assemblies.
The Council of State can suspend presidential decrees, agreements and other provisions that contradict the Constitution and laws.
This body can assume, at the proposal of the President of the Republic, the powers to declare the State of War or War in the event of aggression or peace.
Likewise, among other attributions, ratify and denounce international treaties, approve the modalities of foreign investment that correspond to it and examine and approve, between one and another session of Parliament, the necessary adjustments to the State budget.