These spaces have also given then opportunity for ideas exchange in terms of strong democracy with the techniques, tools and concepts of the deliberative democracy: diversity, different point of views, rational conversation, deliberation based in information, argumentation of ideas and opinions, and the joint and consensual pursue of concrete solutions. All these shape the MIC ´ s body that have been established across the whole country as result of the proposal Constitutional Consensus. From the latter and through the MICs, we have arrived to # Otro18. We should recall that the ongoing discussions within the MICs resulted in a proposal initially known as The Citizen ´ s Hour, with eight points raised by the citizens as a basis for proposals of both constitutional and legal reforms. Within the MICs, they were developed to associate deliberation of specific issues through rational conversation with precise ideas to advance initiatives for improving the lives of the citizens, families and communities. The logic key is that we continue with structural reforms for the well-being of the people. Thus, we have two proposals in # Otro18: the reform of both the electoral law and the law on associations. The discussions led to a further point: the nomination of independent candidates for the upcoming elections as candidates from # Otro18, who will encourage the MICs in the 169 Cuban municipalities with systematic talks among ordinary citizens about constitutional and legal issues, as well as with community legal advice about citizenship.
A brief history We have traveled a long road in recent years. The civil society has become increasingly organized and faces a wide range of problems. It has helped shape all the projects in diverse areas. For those interested in change inside and outside Cuba, the true commitment is democracy, an urgent nation project and a progressive solution to the actual chaos. Among the impending challenges, the Cuban progressives have an agenda for the national political dialogue that includes the emergence of the citizen ´ s voices and the dialogue on the institutionalization of plurality in the social, cultural and political contexts. All these suppose deep constitutional changes to guarantee the essential freedoms. Such principles have been the basis for developing the MICs and their results have generated a broad national and international exchange. For instance, the workshops on deliberative democracy organized by the Cuban Integration Platform( acronym in Spanish: PIC) in Pittsburgh( 2013-2014) and Miami( 2015), were cosponsored by the Project New Country, the Citizens Committee for Racial Integration, the Cuban Research Institute at the Florida International University, the Deliberative Democracy Program, EveryDay Democracy, and other U. S. organizations. The above-mentioned activities were followed by the workshop Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy, held on May 28 this year in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It coincided with the LASA Congress 2015 and became a new and great scenery for analysis and dialogue regarding the multiple tasks done by members of the independent Cuban civil society with the support and the attention by the PIC. This workshop came to ratify the strength achieved step by step in the key concept for exercising democracy among Cubans. It involved a large group of Cubans committed to our civic struggle, who reside not only in Cuba, but also in Puerto Rico and the United States. For the greatest satisfaction, the venue of the workshop was the Main Hall of the Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Its top executives closely
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