President of the Council of State and President of the Council of MinistersFidel CASTRO Ruz (became Prime Minister in February 1959 and President since
2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First
Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2
December 1976)
Political parties and leaders:
only party - Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary
Suffrage:
universal at age 16
Elections:
National Assembly of the People's Power:
last held December 1986 (next to be held before December 1992); results -
PCC is the only party; seats - (510 total) indirectly elected
Communists:
about 600,000 full and candidate members
Member of:
CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMO, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation
since 1962), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation:
none; protecting power in the US is Switzerland - Cuban Interests Section;
position vacant since March 1992; 2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, Washington,
DC 20009; telephone (202) 797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610
:Cuba Government
US:
protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland - US Interests Section, Swiss
Embassy; Principal Officer Alan H. FLANIGAN; Calzada entre L Y M, Vedado
Seccion, Havana (mailing address is USINT, Swiss Embassy, Havana, Calzada
Entre L Y M, Vedado); telephone 32-0051, 32-0543
Flag:
five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white;
a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white
five-pointed star in the center
:Cuba Economy
Overview:
The economy, centrally planned and largely state owned, is highly dependent
on the agricultural sector and foreign trade. Sugar provided about
two-thirds of export revenues in 1991, and over half was exported to the
former Soviet republics. The economy has stagnated since 1985 under policies
that have deemphasized material incentives in the workplace, abolished
farmers' informal produce markets, and raised prices of government-supplied
goods and services. In 1990 the economy probably fell 5% largely as a result
of declining trade with the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Recently
the government has been trying to increase trade with Latin America and
China. Cuba has had difficulty servicing its foreign debt since 1982. The
government currently is encouraging foreign investment in tourist facilities
and in industrial plants idled by falling imports from the former Soviet
Union. Other investment priorities include sugar, basic foods, and nickel.
The annual Soviet subsidy dropped from $4 billion in 1990 to about $1
billion in 1991 because of a lower price paid for Cuban sugar and a sharp
decline in Soviet exports to Cuba. The former Soviet republics have
indicated they will no longer extend aid to Cuba beginning in 1992. Instead
of highly subsidized trade, Cuba has been shifting to trade at market prices
in convertible currencies. Because of increasingly severe shortages of
fuels, industrial raw materials, and spare parts, aggregate output dropped
by one-fifth in 1991.
GNP:
$17 billion, per capita $1,580; real growth rate -20% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Budget:
revenues $12.46 billion; expenditures $14.45 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Exports:
$3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
sugar, nickel, medical products, shellfish, citrus, tobacco, coffee
partners:
former USSR 63%, China 6%, Canada 4%, Japan 4% (1991 est.)
Imports:
$3.7 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
petroleum, capital goods, industrial raw materials, food
partners:
former USSR 47%, Spain 8%, China 6%, Argentina 5%, Italy 4%, Mexico 3% (1991
est.)
External debt:
$6.8 billion (convertible currency, July 1989)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0%; accounts for 45% of GDP (1989)
Electricity:
3,889,000 kW capacity; 16,272 million kWh produced, 1,516 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
sugar milling, petroleum refining, food and tobacco processing, textiles,
chemicals, paper and wood products, metals (particularly nickel), cement,
