1

Communist Party of Cuba, Spanish Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC), Fidel Castro, 2003. [Credit:
Antnio Milena/Agncia Brasil]Cuban communist party organized by Fidel Castro and others in 1965
but historically dating from communist activity begun in Cuba in 1923. Under the constitution of
1976 it became the only party permitted to function in Cuba, and in the revised constitution of 1992
it was defined as the organized vanguard of the Cuban nation.

The Cuban Communist Party (Partido Comunista Cubano) was founded in 1925 by Moscow-trained
members of the Third International (Comintern). For three decades it adhered to the Stalinist line
but, nevertheless, opportunistically collaborated with the regime of Fulgencio Batista in the 1940s
and early 50s, its members even being rewarded with posts in government and labour. From 1954 to
1959, however, the communists were a target of government suppression.

In 1944 the party had been renamed the Peoples Socialist Party (Partido Socialista Popular; PSP); it
retained this name until 1961, when, after Castros overthrow of Batista and the victory of the
revolution, the party was merged with Castros 26th of July Movement (Movimiento 26 de Julio) and
Revolutionary Directorate (Directorio Revolucionario) to form the Integrated Revolutionary
Organizations (Organizaciones Revolucionarias Integradas; ORI). The next year, after a widespread
purge of members, the ORI was reorganized into the United Party of the Socialist Revolution (Partido
Unificado de la Revolucin Socialista). This in turn was dissolved on October 5, 1965, and replaced by
the Communist Party of Cuba, organized along more orthodox Soviet lines.

The PCCs first congress was held in Havana in 1975, when members approved a new constitution
(ratified in a national referendum the following year) that established it as the sole legal political
entity in the country. At its 1991 congress the PCC reaffirmed its single-party ruleat a time when
communism was collapsing in the Soviet Union and elsewhere in Europebut it allowed limited
foreign investment and economic reform (reaffirmed in 1997). In addition, the party congress
officially removed a rule requiring party members to be atheist.

Since its founding the PCC has been dominated by Fidel Castro and his brother Ral Castro. The PCCs
leading institution is the Politburo, whose 25 members are drawn from the 150-member Central
Committee selected by the party congress. The Politburo sets policy for the party and the state. At
the 1997 party congress, Ral was anointed by Fidel as his future successor to head the party and the
country and to ensure that the Cuban Revolution never can be corrupted by anybody *and+never
be destroyed by ourselves. In 2011 Ralwho had succeeded Fidel as president of Cuba in 2008
became party leader.



2

Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba
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The Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, the governing political party of Cuba, took place
on April 16 19, 2011.[1] The main focus of the congress was to introduce economic, social, and
political reforms in order to modernize the country's socialist system. The Communist Party of Cuba
has also elected Ral Castro its First Secretary, the position vacant since Fidel Castro's stepping down
in 2006.[2]
[edit] Background

The Party hadn't convened since 1997, when Cuba's economy was undergoing a severe depression,
known as the Special Period. Nevertheless, no significant economic reforms emerged during the Fifth
Congress. The Sixth Congress had been scheduled for 2009, but was postponed due to the global
economic crisis. On November 9, 2010 the Draft Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the
Party and the Revolution were released, followed by a period of public discussions and consultations
between December 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011. According to the Cuban government, 8.9 million
people were involved in this phase, resulting in changes to 68% of the guidelines and increasing their
number from 291 to 311.[3]
[edit] Organization

The congress was opened on April 16 with a large military parade in Havana, commemorating the
fiftieth anniversary of thwarting the Bay of Pigs Invasion.[1] It was followed by the President of Cuba
and the party's Second Secretary Ral Castro's presentation of the Central Report.[3] In terms of
economics, some of the key notes include proposal to gradually abolish the practice of distributing
subsidized goods by means of rationing, blamed for hoarding and providing disincentive to work,
while firmly rejecting the idea of a shock therapy. Concerning the non-strategic parts of the
economy, Castro talked about the benefits of reducing the role of the public sector, as well as of
decentralization and deregulation.

The speech also addressed the need for political reforms, including the suggestion to limit those
holding high political offices to two five-year terms in order to rejuvenate the country's
institutions.[1]

3

On April 17 18, 997 delegates, representing some 800,000 party members, divided into five
commissions, debated on the Draft Economic and Social Guidelines and approved the Central
Report.[4][5]

On April 19, the delegates approved 313 guidelines from the Draft, having modified 86 and added
2.[6] Ral Castro was elected to be the party's First Secretary, while the position of the Second
Secretary went to Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Cuba's First Vice President.[7] Members of the
Central Committee, Secretariat, and the Politburo were elected as well, while the size of the latter
was reduced from 24 to 15 members. During the closing ceremony- attended by Fidel Castro, making
a rare appearance- Raul Castro expressed satisfaction with the results of the Congress, stating that
the reforms are to be gradually implemented over a five-year period.[8]

Cuban Communists First National Conference Concluded

Author: Escambray en Sunday, January 29, 2012 Comments...

President Raul Castro, first secretary of Cubas Communist Party (PCC) Central Committee, presided
over the closing session of the PCC 1st National Conference at Havana Convention Center this
Sunday.

More than 800 delegates approved reports drafted by four commissions and a resolution on the
goals of the Partys work, previously discussed in the two-day meeting. From the start, the
communists concentrated on discussing the fulfillment of the April 2011 PCCs 6th Congress
economic guidelines, among other top issues.

The communists concentrated from the start on discussing their links with the population and the
mass organizations, the membership policy, fulfillment of the April 2011 PCCs 6th Congress
economic guidelines and the PCC role in fighting corruption and crime.

In his opening speech of the conference, PCC Second Secretary Jose Ramon Machado Ventura
defined the meeting as space to share the criteria and suggestions from hundreds of thousands of
PCC members, whom he called to turn the ideas assembled from the grassroots into their agendas
along efforts to guarantee their implementation towards improving Cubas economic model in line
with the accords of the 6th Congress. (Taken from PL).

4

COMMUNIST PARTY OF CUBA FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE
A profoundly democratic process
This is how Ral Castro, First Secretary of the PCC Central Committee, described the debate which
has been ongoing since the popular discussion of the 6th Party Congress policy guidelines and
continued during the far-reaching and intense analysis of the 1st National Conference

PCC"THE objectives approved here were discussed throughout the country in a profoundly
democratic spirit," emphasized President Ral Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of
Cuba (PCC) Central Committee, during the closing session of the Partys 1st National Conference,
held January 28-29 at Havanas International Convention Center.

The President of the Councils of State and Ministers highlighted the broad exchange of opinions
which characterized the work in commissions during the first day of the event, while nevertheless
emphasizing that the greatest challenge does not lie in reaching agreement, but in how agreements
are implemented.

During a session conducted by the Partys Second Secretary, Jos Ramn Machado Ventura,
delegates unanimously approved resolutions presented by the four commissions and agreed to
authorize the Central Committee, during its current term, to fill vacancies representing up to 20% of
the number of members approved by the 6th Congress.

Commission #1 addressed the Partys functioning, methods and style of work. Participants discussed
the importance of focusing work by rank and file members on the implementation of the Economic
and Social Policy Guidelines; the strengthening of actions taken to confront social indiscipline, illegal
acts, corruption and other negative behavior, while demanding that attention be paid to proposals
made by citizens in any context.

Commission #2 was devoted to the Partys political and ideological work and addressed, among other
important issues, the strengthening of national unity around the Party and the Revolution, which
requires promoting closer ties with the masses and strengthening one-on-one interaction, using
creative means, as well as expanding the conscious participation of the people, as protagonists and
agents of change, in the implementation of the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines.

Commission #3 was charged with analyzing the Partys cadre development policy and proposed that,
in order to better reflect Cuban society, women, Blacks, mixed race persons and youth - on the basis
of their merits and accomplishments - be progressively and purposefully promoted to leadership
5

positions. The Commission also emphasized the need for gradual renovation in these positions and
for a definition of term limits.

During pre-Conference discussions, more than 65,380 proposals were made to Chapter 4 of the
Conference central document devoted to the Partys relations with the Union of Young Communists
(UJC) and other mass organizations, which led to the reformulation of 16 of the 17 resolutions
originally proposed. This fact clearly illustrates the democratic, participatory nature of the process,
but even more far-reaching was the discussion in Commission #4 addressing the strategic issue of the
continuity of the Revolution, which is dependent precisely on the relationship between the Party and
the UJC and other mass organizations. This was the focus of many of the delegates comments.

The 1st Party Conference approved a final resolution read by Political Bureau member Miguel Daz-
Canel Bermdez, which summarized the fundamental ideas which will guide the Partys work.

The document updated basic concepts which characterize the relationship between the Party and
the UJC and other mass organizations and defined measures to be taken to eliminate the practice of
assuming functions and making decisions which are the responsibility of state, government or other
administrative bodies.

During the opening session of the Conference, Second Secretary Jos Ramn Machado Ventura
advocated working with a greater sense of responsibility, always looking to the future, and reiterated
the need to eliminate obsolete mindsets in order to strengthen the work of the Party.

"This is not a conjunctural task," he said, but should rather constitutes a permanent and essential
part of our members activity, which guarantees the Partys continuing ability to rise to the occasion,
as demanded by the challenges of every historic period.

Machado Ventura stated that summarizing the opinions and criteria expressed by delegates during
the discussions and making them the focus of work, and ensuring the implementation of the
Economic and Social Policy Guidelines, were the fundamental goals of the Conference.

He reiterated that much remains to be done and reported that the meeting was preceded by a
thorough analysis of the central document under consideration, published in October 2011, and
discussed by the rank and file membership of the Party and the Union of Young Communists.

6

The inaugural event was dedicated to the 159th anniversary of the birth of Jos Mart, Cubas
national hero and recognized by Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro as the intellectual author of the
assault on the Moncada Garrison of July 26, 1953.

The Conference was convened by the 6th PCC Congress, held in April of 2011.

Resolution outlining work objectives approved by National Conference

THE 1st National Conference of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) discussed and analyzed a
proposed central document focused on perfecting the Party's work during the current period and
over the coming years, as the guarantor, alongside the people, of the continuity and irreversibility of
Cuba's socialism.

The document was thoroughly analyzed by the rank and file in a democratic process, characterized
by broad participation in all of the local units and leadership bodies of the Union of Young
Communists (UJC). Numerous proposals led to the modification of the majority of the original
objectives and the inclusion of an additional five. As formulated definitively, the Conference believes
that the objectives serve to accomplish the following:

* Consecrate the fundamentals which govern the life of the Party, especially the principals of
democratic centralism and collective leadership, as guarantors of unity in action, always irrevocably
linked with the masses.

* Project the updating of the Party's methods and styles of work, structures, cadre development
policy and ideological work, as well as its relationship with the UJC and other mass organizations, in
order to exercise its responsibility to supervise, drive and demand the fulfillment of agreements
made at the 6th Congress, above all those relevant to the updating of Cuba's economic model.

* Summarize basic guidelines for ideological work to ensure the defense of our society's values and
national unity around the Party and the Revolution, encouraging the people's active participation in
decision-making and the strengthening of socialist democracy.

* Define the responsibility and the role of the Party in the implementation of its cadre development
policy, reaffirming the need to achieve better results in the promotion of women, Blacks, persons of
7

mixed race and youth to leadership positions, based on their personal qualifications, training,
experience and accomplishments.

* Prioritize the work of the Party in preventing and confronting corruption, illegal acts and
indiscipline and in opposing any indications of impunity.

* Demand the definitive elimination of backward thinking, prejudice and discriminatory behavior of
all kinds and consistently abide by the mandates of the Cuban Constitution, which prohibits
discrimination based on race, skin color, gender, national origin, religious beliefs, or any other
prejudicial attack on human dignity, and advocates education for all in the principles of equality
among human beings.

* Update the basic concepts which should characterize relations between the Party and the UJC and
other mass organizations. In particular, the objectives encourage the youth organization to assume,
with greater rigor, its responsibility to educate younger generations.

* Identify the steps to be taken to eliminate Party methods and styles of work which supplant the
functioning and decision-making of the state, the government and other administrative institutions.
Establish that the Party will assume its responsibility to lead and supervise by confirming the
fulfillment of 6th Congress agreements and those of superior bodies.

The Conference reaffirmed the responsibility of leadership bodies, local units of the Party and its
members in the supervision and fulfillment of agreed upon objectives.

The 1st National Conference of the Communist Party of Cuba, resolves, once directives from the four
commissions are evaluated, to:

- Approve the Party Work Objectives, with the modifications approved;

- Authorize the Central Committee to identify changes to be made in Party statutes to more
accurately reflect the approved objectives;

8

- Charge the Political Bureau with the responsibility to follow Central Committee directives to
approve and implement necessary modifications of Party structures and regulations.

- Charge the Political Bureau with the responsibility to implement the Party work objectives through
actions by the Secretariat and Party structures at all levels.

- Given that the Conference did not add new members to the Central Committee, this body is
authorized to fill vacancies, on this one occasion, representing up to 20% of the number of members
approved by the 6th Congress, over the course of its current term.