Cuba postpones local elections due to hurricane damage

The second round of Cuba's municipal elections were postponed in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy which left 11 people dead and hefty property losses. National Electoral Commission President Alina Balseiro told official press Saturday that authorities had already delayed elections in the hardest-hit eastern provinces, but latest damage assessments prompted them to halt elections in the rest of the country, too. She added the new election date would be announced at "a proper time." She said 94.21 percent of the 8.5 million voters participated in the first round of the elections on Oct. 21. "We believe that this result is an unequivocal evidence of support to our political system." Hurricane Sandy swept eastern Cuba Thursday, leaving 11 dead, thousands of homes damaged and large swaths of croplands flooded. Heavy rains are still pounding central parts of the island nation, where government troops have been put on alert since Friday.