Castro calls out millions to back single party state

Fidel Castro has led hundreds of thousands of people in a march in Havana to ratify the socialist state as "untouchable".

Other rallies were organised across the island to protest at George W Bush's policies towards the one party state.

The Cuban President said one million people were expected to participate in Havana alone.

Wearing his traditional olive green uniform and cap, Mr Castro waved a small red, white and blue Cuban flag as the sea of people marched toward the US Interests Section, the American mission in Cuba.

He called for the marches to support a constitutional amendment, announced a month after a group of activists submitted a proposed referendum for deep reforms in the socialist system.

The proposed constitutional amendment declaring Cuba's socialist system to be "untouchable," and the mobilisation, appear to be Castro's response to the Varela Project, the proposed reform referendum.

Organisers submitted more than 11,000 signatures to Cuba's National Assembly on May 10, demanding a referendum asking voters if they favour civil liberties such as freedom of speech and assembly, the right to own a business, electoral reform and amnesty for political prisoners.