Chamber:
	Asamblea nacional del Poder popular
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	11 January 1998
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	The 1998 parliamentary elections were held simulataneously with polling for 1,192 representatives to the country’s 14 provincial assemblies. For the expanded National Assembly’s 601 seats (up from 589), an identical number of candidatures were finally approved, after screening, by the National Candidature Commission. While not all were members of the ruling and sole political organization - the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) - they backed the policies of the Government led by Mr. Fidel Castro Ruz, President of the executive Council of State. During the campaign, the Government appealed for a massive voter turnout which, according to President Castro, would serve to underline the vitality of Cuba’s political system. He characterized the capitalist world as in crisis, cited economic problems affecting Asia and their repercussions in international stock markets, and stated that « it’s the world that’s changing, not Cuba » as the latter was « reaffirming its position, its ideals, its objectives ». Electors turned out in large numbers on polling day to endorse the official national and provincial slates of candidates. On 24 February, Mr. Castro was re-elected Head of State by Parliament for another five-year term. At the same time, he heads the Council of Ministers.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (11 January 1998): Elections results
Number of registered electors	8, 064,205
Voters	7,931,229 (98.35%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	398,007
Valid votes	7,533,222

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	435
Women:	166

Distribution of seats according to age:
18-30 years	26
31-40 years	165
41-50 years	256
51-60 years	116
Over 60 years	38
Distribution of seats according to profession:
Local representatives	278
Provincial representatives	185
National representatives	138