The single-chamber Cuban Parliament, the National Assembly of People's Power-ANPP), is the States supreme body of power. It has constituent and legislative authority and may choose the members of the executive, judicial and complementary Supreme Court. The Cuban Parliament holds few plenary sessions, only six per year. The rest of the time it operates in permanent or temporary commissions. The National Assembly is composed of 614 members (265 women, or 43.2% ). All seats are held by supporters of the government. At the beginning of 2008, Ra l Castro was chosen by Parliament as the new President, an interim position he has held since 2006. The Council of State , which in reality is a cabinet, is named by the President. The courts are subordinated to the Cuban National Assembly of People's Power-ANPP and Council of State. The return of Cuba to the Organisation of American States-OAS, from which it was expelled in 1962, was approved in June 2009 but the Cuban Government has confirmed that it does not wish to return to an entity described as "archaic" and "discredited."

Economy: Modifications in progress with regard to Cubas economic model include the redesign of the countrys taxation policies. According to authorities, taxes represent the States main source of income to cover the costs of its social policies, mainly in the education sector, the benefits of which are received for free from childhood until old age. It is estimated that the Cuban culture in tax matters is inadequate and it is necessary to reverse conditions so that the rates established are paid regularly.

Given the current context, which will give way to an increase in self-employment after the reorganisation of labour in state entities, the taxes take on an increasing importance. Following the new measures, about half a million state workers shall lose their jobs. With the expansion of self-employment, those who join any of the 178 permitted categories shall contribute to Social Security if they have no employment relationship with, or are beneficiaries of, that system. They shall also pay taxes on sales or public services, as appropriate, and on personal income, and those who hire employees shall pay for the use of that force. In accordance with a resolution of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, "the self-employed" shall pay taxes and contributions to Social Security in Cuban Pesos, while operating in other currencies.

Family remittances of money from abroad play an important role in Cuba's public accounts, and account for between US $800 and US $1,000 million per year for an economy generating US $18,000 million. Most remittances are from relatives in the US who are allowed by US law to send US $1,200 each year. This provides access to dollars for almost 60% of the Cuban population. In 2009, President Obama let Cuban Americans travel and send remittances to Cuba without restrictions.

Human rights: The security forces have repeatedly been accused of abusing their detainees, although corporal punishment of prisoners is banned. A formal and informal permanent system of vigilance exists. The impunity of security personnel is one of the issues. The Cuban Government refuses to recognise the legitimacy of any independent human rights organisation. Local supporters are subject to regular harassment and threatened with imprisonment if they do not leave their work.

A Human Rights Watch report documented more than 40 cases of dissidents who had been imprisoned on the grounds of danger since Ra l Castro has been in government, and there are many other cases of persons convicted by the application of laws that criminalise freedom of expression and association. Besides the Dangerousness Law, Cuba has many laws that breach the exercise of fundamental rights, such as those that punish disrespect and insubordination against the Government. In fact, Article 62 of the Cuban Constitution prohibits the exercise of any basic right contrary to the "aims of the socialist state. In February 2010, Orlando Zapata died after spending 85 days without eating food. In October 2010, the European Parliament decided to award the Sakharov Prize for Human Rights to Guillermo Farias, the Cuban dissident who went on hunger strike for 135 days, demanding the release of political prisoners. Thanks to the efforts of the Spanish Government and the Cuban archbishop in 2010, 52 detainees were released, some of whom were the 75 journalists held since 2003. Most of those released were transferred to Spain.

Print and electronic media are state-owned. Public access to government information is a right, but the Government does not always respond to requests for its access. Internet access is controlled and e-mail can be censored. You can only access the Internet through government-authorised servers. Access is expensive for the majority of citizens. Cuba is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 2008, the country signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. However, it has not ratified either of the two documents.

Cubas accomplishments in education continue to be substantial, with free public education from nursery school through to university. Pre-primary education, although not compulsory, is the initial part of the education system for children aged 6 months to 5 years. Education is compulsory from 6 to 11 years. All children of school age go to school. Children in rural areas have fewer educational opportunities, although boarding schools are established for children aged 12 and over. Children under 7 receive additional food through a ration-card system. In summer, children are encouraged to work for a week as volunteer. Many Cubans of African descent who prior to 1959 barely received an education have benefited from access to free education. Education is secular, but the Catholic Church and Jewish synagogues are permitted to offer religious education classes. Each teacher generally attends to 20 students. In classrooms where there are more students, two teachers work. At the end of each period of the academic year and based on a continuous assessment, the teacher makes a comprehensive evaluation of the student expressed in categories (Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor) without translating it into points. The student is approved if he or she obtains at least Fair category.

The nursery school programme is from ages 3 to 6. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 97%. All of the 27,239 teachers working in ECE are women and all are trained. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 18:1.

Education is compulsory for children aged 6 to 14. Primary education starts at 6 years old and lasts for 6 years. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 99%. Only 1% of children repeat grades. Of the children who enrol in first grade, 97% reach the last grade of primary school. 88,498 teachers (77% female) work in this level of education and all are trained.

Secondary school education is from ages 12 to 18. 3% of students in lower secondary school study technical vocational programmes, a level rising sharply to 58% in upper secondary. 1% of students repeat grades. There are 84,467 secondary teachers, 43,767 (65% female) in lower secondary and 40,700 (46% female) in upper secondary. 79% of secondary teachers are adequately trained. The PTR is 12:1 in lower secondary and 10:1 in upper secondary schools.

There are 970,895 students (61% female) enrolled in tertiary education, for a Gross Enrolment Rate of 118%. 13,705 foreign students come to study in Cuba, mainly from Latin America and the Caribbean (11,277), Sub-Saharan Africa (1,661), Asia (301) the Arab States (100), North America and Western Europe (66) and Central and Eastern Europe (10). Meanwhile 1,131 Cubans study abroad, mainly in Spain (225), USA (132), Germany (123), Italy (95) and Chile (91).

With 527 operating institutions, the Cuban system of special education covers 44,562 children in need of this type of education, provided free of charge. Among the techniques used for the blind and deaf are basic rehabilitation, sign language, Braille reading and writing, and equine-assisted therapy. Cuba prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in education and other public services. The Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education has programs for children with special needs, and the state pays special attention to the creation of special schools for students with physical or mental disabilities or behaviour problems. This is to help them become self-reliant and integrate into society. There is an extensive scholarships system. Besides normal educational activities, such as involvement in lectures and discussions, students undertake other extracurricular activities such as research work, both individually and collectively.

The Constitution provides for the granting of asylum to individuals persecuted for their ideals or for actions to promote democratic rights against imperialism, fascism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism; against discrimination and racism; for national liberation; for the rights of workers, peasants, and students; for their progressive political, scientific, artistic, and literary activities; and for socialism and peace. Children of refugees and asylum-seekers are provided with education.

The official policy towards sexual minorities has changed and they are no longer sent to camps for re-education. However, social discrimination continues to exist. Currently, the Cuban health system has resumed sex-change operations. In May 2010 a march took place to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia. In Cuba there is no law penalising sexual diversity, but neither is there one that protects it. There are no associations for the defence of LGBT rights and actions with that purpose can only come from state institutions.
Education has been one of the countrys priorities and ethnic minorities are widely included in the educational system.

Academic freedom is limited in a system that favours the government's decisions at the expense of freedom of expression. The Ministry of Education requires teachers to assess the ideological character of the students and their parents. These assessments are on file at school and affect students educational and career expectations. Libraries can deny access to books or information unless a letter of permission from the appropriate public ministry is presented.

The Family Code gives men and women the same rights and duties in marriage, divorce, education and professional development. The law provides for paid maternity leave of 18 weeks and working mothers have preferential access to goods and services. According to the 2010 Global Index for Gender of the World Economic Forum , Cuba ranks second in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the 24th among 134 countries supported by very high levels of female enrolment in primary, secondary and higher education. 43.2% of legislators in the Assembly are women and nearly 60% of professional and technical positions are held by women. In education, women represent 78% of the teachers in primary school, 55% in secondary and 59% in tertiary. There is evidence that women spend an average of 34 hours per week on household chores, in addition to working outside of home. Violence and sexual harassment against women remain unresolved problems. The police are accused of not taking action in cases of domestic violence.

The minimum age for work is 7, but children of 15 and 16 can receive training or work to fill labour shortages. Children aged 13 to 18 have limitations on the type of work they can perform. Students in rural boarding schools are expected to participate in manual labour. Secondary school students are asked to give 15 days of their summer vacation to a variety of voluntary projects. Students in post-secondary institutions are expected to work 30 to 45 days a year, usually in agricultural work. Refusal to do such work can result in expulsion. The Government adheres to ILO standards on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour.

Workers' rights are limited, in particular in regard to forming and joining trade unions. The leaders of the Workers' Central Union of Cuba-CTC are selected by the Communist Party. Independent unions are not recognised. The ILO has criticised the Cuban Government, on numerous occasions, for violating ILO norms on freedom of association and the right to organise and have concluded that the law and practice are in violation of ILO Convention 87. The ILO has called for the release of imprisoned trade unionists and urged the government to accept an ILO mission to verify labour conditions. The ILO has also criticised the lack of collective bargaining and the obstacles that impede the exercise of the right to strike.

The State Committee for Work and Social Security (CETSS) sets wages and salaries for the state sector, the largest employer in the country. Special groups of workers in micro-brigades are reassigned to construction projects in tourist resorts. The standard working week is 44 hours. Wages reflect the fact that many services are free or at minimum cost. Even with subsidies, the minimum wage does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and their family.

Since October 2010, Cuba has authorised a range of activities for free enterprise in at least 178 categories. However, it is not clear how access to resources shall be and to what extent the so-called "self-employed'' shall resist in a market that is burdened with high charges and controls. The latest idea is that self-employed Cubans may employ staff to support them in their work with what shall in fact form small businesses. To date, the law only allows the families of holders of the licence to work.

The Workers' Central Union of Cuba (CTC) issued a public statement announcing the dismissal of 500,000 civil servants during the period between October 2010 and the first quarter of 2011. Those who do not accept the jobs offered to them will be dismissed with the payment of one months wages for every ten years work, in other words, anyone who has worked for 30 years shall, for example, receive compensation in the form of three months wages.