# What is Fidel Castro's reasoning for not allowing general elections?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-fidel-castros-reasoning-for-not-allowing-general-elections/42548>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 24, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-fidel-castros-reasoning-for-not-allowing-general-elections/42548 "2000-11-24T16:35:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![The\_Assailant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@The\_Assailant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Assailant)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-fidel-castros-reasoning-for-not-allowing-general-elections/42548/1 "2000-11-24T16:35:55Z")

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Has he ever expressed his views on this issue? More importantly, has he ever been queried on this issue? If he has, what was his response?

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**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-fidel-castros-reasoning-for-not-allowing-general-elections/42548/2 "2000-11-24T17:35:16Z")

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Because he’s a dictator, not a president.

\ ***dic•ta•tor**

Pronunciation: (dik’tA-tur, dik-tA’tur) —n.

1. a person exercising absolute power, esp. a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession. \*

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-fidel-castros-reasoning-for-not-allowing-general-elections/42548/3 "2000-11-24T21:32:33Z")

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[sarcasm]  
Because anyone who questions the People’s Revolution is a counter-revolutionary traitor and a stooge of the Yankee imperialists, and should be shot.  
[/sarcasm]

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2000, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-fidel-castros-reasoning-for-not-allowing-general-elections/42548/4 "2000-11-24T21:57:04Z")

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He _did_ offer to send observers to monitor the ongoing U.S. presidential election.