Soltura Cuba Travel Blog

Written by Ian Sergeant and Sophia Bass, translated below by Izzy Valdés. Cuba’s presidential elections having just passed, we thought we would help alleviate any confusion that there may be regarding Cuba’s electoral process. In 2007, Raul Castro assumed power when his brother Fidel Castro fell ill. He was officially elected president in February 2008. After his reelection in 2013, Raul promised that he would only hold power for this second 5-year term, and then step down as president. This was extended by a couple of months after Hurricane Irma, in order to ensure the stability of the republic. On April 19th, 2018, Cuba’s National Assembly elected Miguel Diaz-Canel president of Cuba. The National Assembly of People’s Power is Cuba’s Parliament and is made up of 605 members, chosen on a local level through democratic elections. The last election was March 2018. They are the only body in the Republic invested with constituent and legislative authority. This means that when it is ...

Written by Ian Sergeant Today was absolutely surreal, as the streets were nearly empty in the several hours before Obama's arrival. Sundays in Havana are generally quiet, as Cubans, family-oriented as they are, go en masse to swimming pools or to the beaches in the outskirts of the city. Adding to that the fact that most Cubans didn't bother going out into the city due to rumors that everything would be closed in anticipation of higher than normal security needs for Obama's visit, Havana was like a ghost town. Everyone near a TV kept tuned to one of the state channels, which were broken up periodically with general news reports that included updates about how Obama had not yet arrived. More conservative (Communist) people draped large Cuban flags over their balconies, while others flaunted both Cuban and US flags. Once Air Force One landed, the tone of the coverage changed to something akin to the crush US Americans once had on the British Royal Family. Strangely absent fro...