HAVANA.-  A nation-wide election drill took place Sunday to check the operational conditions of the island’s voting system to guarantee the efficiency and quality of upcoming general elections on Sunday, March 11.

Eight million Cubans will go to the polls to vote 1,265 provincial government delegates and 605 parliamentarians for a five-year term.

The drill was carried out in all provinces by local electoral authorities whose work was reported on Sunday by the local press. The checkup of communication means, ballot counting procedures, and all actions that take place in voting stations were under consideration.

After all Cubans voters cast their ballots and delegates and deputies are elected, provincial assemblies will take seat on March 25, while the Parliament will set up on April 19. Then the new parliament will elect its directives as well as the new Council of State of Cuba and a new president.

As to the National Assembly of People’s Power or Parliament in particular, some 605 candidates are to be voted to occupy parliament seats.

The current legislature will be renewed by 55.8 percent as 338 persons are candidates for the first time, while another 148 have been parliamentarians  during one single mandate.

Women stand for over 53 percent of all candidates, making it the second parliament in the world with women majority, after Ruanda with over 61 percent.

The average age of the candidates to deputies is 49 years, with young people between 18 and 35 years old. Meanwhile, 89.25 percent of all candidates were  born after Jan 1, 1959.

The composition of the candidature is varied, with candidates coming from sectors, such as agriculture, education, non-state economic sector, and production and service centers.  More than 86 percent of candidates are university graduates.