Cubans set to vote in referendum on new constitution Havana

Cubans will Sunday vote for or against a newconstitution that recognizes the right to private property butmaintains the one-party system.The new charter is expected to be approved, but possibly with asmaller majority than the current one was in 1976.The draft constitution was discussed for three months atneighbourhood and workplace assemblies. That led to about 760modifications being made to it before parliament gave it a final sealof approval in December. "Most of the changes were a question of style," said Jose JasanNieves from the independent news website El Toque.The text recognizes the right to private property, the role marketscan play and the importance of foreign investment. It also introducesthe figure of a prime minister and reduces presidential terms from anunlimited number to two.However, the final version eliminates a formulation which would haveopened the way to gay marriage. It was opposed by evangelicalchurches.The constitution maintains communism as the state ideology and anone-party system.The charter can only enter into force if the majority of Cubans giveit 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 discussionand a government campaign in favour of a yes-vote revealed a concernthat the constitution might not be approved with a large majority."I vote yes," was the motto of the campaign featuring posters inbuses or sports stadiums.A preliminary result of the vote will be made public on Monday.