(bbc) No-one will be staying up watching television late into the night after Sunday's Cuban polls to see if there are any major upsets. There are 614 candidates contesting 614 seats for the new National Assembly or Parliament. There has been no campaigning, political rallies are not allowed and the most famous candidate, Fidel Castro, has not been seen in public for almost a year-and-a-half. The only real indications that an election is taking place are the sheets of paper posted on shop and office windows, with a photograph and short biography of each candidate. Yet more than 90% of voters are expected to turn out on Sunday for what is a key step in determining whether 81-year-old Mr Castro remains as head of state. Under the constitution, the new National Assembly has to meet within 45 days to approve, from among its own numbers, the country's president, vice-president and executive Council of State for new five-year terms.

Join BBN for free to post a comment. If you already have an account, please login here to post a comment. You will be returned to this page after logging in.