Page:British and Foreign State Papers, vol. 144 (1952).djvu/341



138. The President of the Republic is the Chief of the Nation and represents it. The Executive Power is exercised by the President of the Republic with the Cabinet, in accordance with what is established in this Constitution.

The President of the Republic acts as the directing and moderating power and the personification of national solidarity.

139. The President of the Republic is required:

(a) To be a Cuban by birth but if this status is a result of the provisions of Section (d) of Article 12 of this Constitution, it shall be necessary to have borne arms for Cuba, in its wars for independence, for at least 10 years.

(b) To be at least 35 years of age.

(c) To have the full enjoyment of civil and political rights.

(d) Not to have been connected with the armed forces of the Republic in active service during the year immediately prior to the date of his designation as a Presidential candidate.

140. The President of the Republic shall be elected by universal, equal, direct and secret suffrage, on a single day, for a period of 4 years, in accordance with the procedure to be established by law.

The count of ballots shall be made by Provinces. The candidate who obtains the greatest number of votes in each one of them, shall be credited with a number of provincial votes equal to the total of Senators and Representatives to be elected, according to law, by the voters of the respective Province, and the one who has the greatest number of provincial votes in the entire Republic shall be considered elected.

Anyone who has once held the office cannot again occupy it until 8 years after he ceased to hold it.

141. The President of the Republic, on taking possession of his office, shall swear or promise, before the Supreme Court, to exercise it faithfully, fulfilling and seeing to the fulfilment of the Constitution and the law.

142. It is the function of the President of the Republic, with the assistance of the Cabinet: