The Cuban president demands that the Communist Party function “differently” amid the crisis

Havana.– Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel indicated this Saturday that the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC, the only legal one) must “demand of itself a different way of functioning” amid the “economic and media war” that, in his opinion, the island is facing. “Everything we have discussed here up to this part of the Plenary (…), would remain empty words if the Party does not demand of itself a different way of functioning in these times,” said the also first secretary of the PCC, according to state television reports. The PCC meeting began in the morning behind closed doors and without media appearances, with an agenda focused on the economy, amid the serious crisis that the island has been experiencing for more than five years. “We cannot afford in the current conditions, and I am speaking from the attitude of the Party (…), for bureaucracy, formalism and inertia to continue being brakes,” added Díaz-Canel. The Cuban ruler insisted that Cuba is suffering an “economic and media war”, as well as “pressures” imposed by the U.S. economic sanctions which, he added, “have intensified”. Regarding this, the PCC’s Organization Secretary, Roberto Morales, stated that “although we are aware that the blockade (embargo) is the main obstacle to development, we cannot ignore that there are problems as a consequence of errors, deviations and negative tendencies.” Morales added that these problems “compromise the purpose of moving forward”, and criticized that on issues such as food, the country is “very far” from achieving goals such as increasing production.

Anti-Crisis Program

The PCC plenary also evaluates the economic adjustment program announced in 2023 and implemented since 2024, which includes, among other things, a more than 400% increase in fuel prices, significant cuts in public spending, and a partial dollarization of the economy. Regarding this, Cuba’s Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, stated that the officially named “Government Program to correct distortions and relaunch the economy” has been “executed” under “limited conditions,” according to a report from the official website Cubadebate. “(The program) has had to be implemented under limited conditions, with reduced availability of electricity services, fuel, restricted access to convertible currencies and inflationary pressures generated by the combination of external and internal factors,” Marrero indicated. The head of Government, in charge of presenting the reforms two years ago, added that they are aligned “with the strategic priorities, but their success will depend on the ability to prioritize tasks, execute with greater discipline, reduce dispersion, integrate actors and secure essential resources, especially in energy, foreign currency and national production.”

The Causes of the Cuban Crisis

Cuba has been in a serious crisis for five years with shortages of basic products, high inflation, the partial dollarization of the economy, and long blackouts. The pandemic, the tightening of US sanctions, and failed economic and monetary policies have exacerbated the structural problems of the national economy, which already contracted by 1.1% in 2024 and, in the last five years, has accumulated a fall of 11%, according to official data. In addition to this, there is the current dengue and chikungunya epidemic outbreak with thousands of detected cases, severe symptoms, an unfavorable short-term prognosis and, to date, at least 47 deaths, mostly minors.