Politics and Civil Society in Cuba

Legal Dissent: Constitutional Proposals for “Cambio” in Cuba 157

ment-supported solution and substantial amounts of capital. Of the

Varela Project’s proposals, the most appealing one is likely to be the

freedom to organize a company, given its potential impact on individ-

ual economic conditions.

The appearance in the 2008 Freedom House survey of the “single

currency” as a top priority issue reflects the fact that a simple, eco-

nomic message can make quick inroads because of its immediate daily

relevance. The “Con la Misma Moneda” (With the Same Currency)

campaign was launched in 2006 by the Federación Latinoamericana de

Mujeres Rurales (FLAMUR) (Rodriguez Albacia 2006). Following the

Varela Project model, FLAMUR is collecting 10,000 signatures under

Article 88.ch.4 of the Constitution to request that the National

Assembly consider the consolidation of Cuba’s two currencies—the

Cuban peso (CUP, used by Cuban citizens) and the Convertible Peso

(CUC, linked to foreign currencies) into one, equally valid currency

(Rodriguez Albacia 2006). This issue has a direct impact on men and

women’s pockets. The domestic CUC/CUP exchange rate is about

1:25, with the government imposing a 20% tax per exchange

(González-Corzo 2006; oanda.com).

The recurrence in surveys of the embargo as an issue of “eco-

nomic isolation” has an equally powerful psychological aspect. This

TABLE 1. Comparison of Top Priorities of MCL and Surveyed Populations

# The Varela Proj-

ect (2002)

Solidaridad

Española (2005)

IRI#1 (2007) IRI#2 (2008) Freedom House

(2008)

1amnesty for

political prison-

ers

low salaries/

cost of living/

lack of job

(30.5%)

low salaries/

high cost of life

(43.1%)

low salaries/

high cost of life

(42.5%)

freedom of

movement

(inside & out-

side Cuba)

2freedom of

speech

isolation/the

embargo

(25.9%)

lack of liberty/

political system

(18.2%)

the country’s

double cur-

rency (13.1%)

a single cur-

rency system

3freedom of

association

food (14.6%) food shortages

(11.6%)

lack of liberty/

political system

(8.9%)

freedom of

expression

4freedom to

organize corpo-

rations

transportation

(9.6%)

no problem

(6.3%)

the embargo/

isolation (8.5%)

5a new electoral

law/free elec-

tions

housing (6.7%) embargo/isola-

tion (4.8%)

food shortages

(6.8%)