The president of the National Electoral Council (CEN) Alina Balseiro said on Sunday that the popular referendum on the new Family Code in Cuba is being held with transparency and truthfulness.

Havana, Cuba.- The CEN informed in the first part of this democratic exercise that at 7:00 am, more than 23,000 polling stations opened throughout the country with the necessary conditions to guarantee the right of all citizens to express their vote.

Balseiro pointed out that due to the imminence of Tropical Storm Ian, four special polling stations were deactivated in Cayo Largo del Sur, in the Isla de la Juventud special municipality.

The CEN president explained that the different variants of communications and data processing were guaranteed, as well as the vitality of the computer system used by electoral authorities.

She added that an important precedent of this exercise was the popular consultation on the new Family Code which was developed by authorities at the constituency level, 50 percent of which have previous electoral experience.

16.31 percent of Cuban voters registered on the electoral roll had exercised their right to vote by 9:00 a.m. The day is going on with organization, discipline, enthusiasm, and tranquility and there are no significant incidents, Tomás Amarán, vice-president of the electoral body, told the press.

Amarán said that more than 200 special polling stations were set up to facilitate the voting of citizens who are away from their place of residence for certain reasons.

He explained that the voters' list or electoral roll is constantly updated based on the observations of the voters themselves and for this, there is transparency and knowledge of the authorities to guarantee the quality of the documentation. (PL)