l; after the February election, the
National Assembly will have 590 seats) indirectly elected from slates
approved by special candidacy commissions
Executive branch:
president of the Council of State, first vice president of the Council of
State, Council of State, president of the Council of Ministers, first vice
president of the Council of Ministers, Executive Committee of the Council of
Ministers, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly of the People's Power (Asamblea Nacional del
Poder Popular)
Judicial branch:
People's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo Popular)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers
Fidel CASTRO Ruz (Prime Minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976
when office was abolished; President since 2 December 1976); First Vice
President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of
Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976)

*Cuba, Government

Member of:
CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal
participation since 1962), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Principal Officer Alfonso FRAGA Perez (since August 1992)
chancery:
2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, US Interests Section, Swiss Embassy,
Washington, DC 20009 telephone:
(202) 797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Principal Officer Alan H. FLANIGAN
US Interests Section:
USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada entre L Y M, Vedado Seccion, Havana
mailing address:
USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada Entre L Y M, Vedado, Havava
telephone:
32-0051, 32-0543
FAX:
no service available at this time
note:
protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland - US Interests Section, Swiss
Embassy
Flag:
five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white;
a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white
five-pointed star in the center

*Cuba, Economy

Overview:
Since Castro's takeover of Cuba in 1959, the economy has been run in the
Soviet style of government ownership of substantially all the means of
production and government planning of all but the smallest details of