Introduction

This chapter examines the development of the Cuban Organs of People's Power (OPP) within the parameters of the 1976 Constitution, with special emphasis on the relevance of the theoretical concepts for the municipal assemblies within the Local Organs of People's Power. In the tradition established during the Paris Commune of 1871 and of the soviets of 1905 and 1917, the Cuban OPP consist of governing institutions whose purpose is to represent the interests of the proletariat and its allies. Representative government in Cuba has three levels—the municipal assemblies, the provincial assemblies, and the National Assembly. The lower bodies are directly subordinate to the higher ones. The municipal assembly analyzes, discusses, supervises, monitors, inspects, and controls the social, economic, judicial, and political affairs of the municipality. The municipal assembly has commissions composed of delegates and citizen volunteers with expertise, for areas such as education, public health, and economic affairs.