Cubans set to vote in referendum on new constitution Havana

Cubans will Sunday vote for or against a new constitution that recognizes the right to private property but maintains the one-party system.
The new charter is expected to be approved, but possibly with a smaller majority than the current one was in 1976.
The draft constitution was discussed for three months at neighbourhood and workplace assemblies. That led to about 760 modifications being made to it before parliament gave it a final seal of approval in December.
 "Most of the changes were a question of style," said Jose Jasan Nieves from the independent news website El Toque. The text recognizes the right to private property, the role markets can play and the importance of foreign investment. It also introduces the figure of a prime minister and reduces presidential terms from an unlimited number to two.
However, the final version eliminates a formulation which would have opened the way to gay marriage. It was opposed by evangelical churches. The constitution maintains communism as the state ideology and an one-party system.
The charter can only enter into force if the majority of Cubans give it their backing. The 1976 constitution was approved by nearly 98 per cent of voters. But this time, the use of the internet has emboldened the discussion and a government campaign in favour of a yes-vote revealed a concern that the constitution might not be approved with a large majority. "I vote yes," was the motto of the campaign featuring posters in buses or sports stadiums. A preliminary result of the vote will be made public on Monday.