Cubans voted a new constitution that could change their social structure

Some 25,000 schools closed at 18:00 (23:00). The last part of the electoral commission, at 17:00 (22:00 GMT), one hour before the closing, indicated that 81.53% of the 8.6 million registered voters had exercised their right to vote, which is voluntary.

Preliminary results will be known Monday afternoon.

After voting, the President Miguel Diaz-Canel spoke on Twitter about the situation of his Venezuelan ally: "The Civil-Military Union and the #Venezuela revolutionary people with its president @NicolasMaduro have prevented the coup d'etat imperialist." The falcons of the empire and their lackeys who accompanied it failed. Empire does not give up its plans, continues to fight, #ManosFueraDeVenezuela ".

Cuba is trying to unite the international community against what it calls an "American military aggression" against its Venezuelan ally.

Diaz-CanelWashington, along with its ally Nicolás Maduro, told reporters that Latin America "was under a moment of imperial threat" and violently criticized the Colombian, Chilean and Paraguayan presidents on Saturday at the border with Venezuela. next to the self-proclaimed interim President Juan Guaidó, recognized by about fifty countries.

"To whom did these presidents lend their support?", He asked, wondering what Republican Senator Marco Rubio was doing., a fierce critic of the Cuban revolution and close to President Donald Trump.

Rubio, of Cuban origin, rightly tweeted that the referendum was "another maneuver of the Cuban dictatorship to keep the power," "a farce and a fraud."

For his part, the National Security Advisor of the White House, John Bolton, said that "the constitutional referendum of Cuba is today another strategy of the Cuban regime to conceal its repression and its tyranny". United States Supports People's Calls for Cuban Freedom and Democracy

According to local media, Raul Castro, first secretary of the ruling Communist Party (CPC, only) "exercised his right to vote" in the morning without making a statement.

At Miami, Trump warned Monday in a speech that "the days of socialism and communism are counted in Venezuela, as well as in Nicaragua and Cuba" countries that his administration calls "troika of tyranny".

For academic Carlos Alzugaray, the US president's aggression favored the government's omnipresent campaign # YovotoSí.

"Trump's speech was a good propaganda for the yes (…) There are many people (…) who will vote yes because they want to defend their independence against the American threat", said Mr. Alzugaray to AFP.

The new constitution, which would replace that of 1976, recognizes the market and private and foreign investments as actors of the reform of their Soviet-style economy and with many shortcomings, but still under the leadership of the CCP unique and in power.

In the referendum, the illegal opposition, which usually calls for the abstention or the cancellation of the ballots, this time called the "no".

"It is obvious that this resounding" no "goes beyond the" no "to a Constitution, it is a" no "for a regime that seeks to perpetuate itself in power," he said. to AFP José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the opposition.

Voting against the text is also "the only opportunity the people have had in years to say" no ", he added.

In the era of the Internet, more easily accessible on the island since the deployment of 3G in December, the "yes" and the "no" have been on social networks for months.

The government has confidence in the mbadive triumph of "yes", which requires 50% + 1 of the electoral list.

The Constitution of 1976 was approved by 97.7% of the votes and the constitutional reform of 2002 aiming to make socialism "irrevocable" obtained 99.3%.

In the event that the "no" would prevail, an unprecedented political scenario after 60 years of revolution, the 1976 Charter would remain in force and the government should adapt the rules to give a legal floor to the ongoing reforms. .

Alzugaray estimated that the new constitution would obtain between "70 and 80%" valid votes: "The society has changed and this change will be reflected in the vote".