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The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel defended the one-party system in Cuba this Friday and compared it with the models of China and Vietnam during an official event held in Havana for the 60th anniversary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).
In the ceremony, Army General Raúl Castro was present, in one of his rare public appearances in recent months, during which there were rumors that he had passed away.
The prosperity of modern China is neither magic nor a product of the imagination. It is the triumph of the socialist ideal, adapted to Chinese characteristics, but always under the guidance of the Communist Party, affirmed Díaz-Canel in his speech, delivered at the Universal Hall of the FAR, reported the official newspaper Granma.
He stated that China's progress demonstrates that the single-party model is "central to ensuring stability and national sovereignty."
The Cuban leader stated that the six decades of resistance against the U.S. embargo "cannot be explained without the presence of the single Party that was born from the unity of the political forces that made the Revolution."
In his speech, he compared the Cuban experience to that of Asian communist regimes, emphasizing that “the Chinese experience and also the Vietnamese one refute the theories of the adversaries and confirm the centrality of the single-party principle”.
The event, broadcasted by state television, brought together the top government leaders, the Party, and the Armed Forces.
Raúl Castro was seated in the front row and received several standing greetings from the audience. His presence came after weeks of speculation regarding his health and following his absence from the recent presentation of his Selected Works in Havana.
The event took place amid the deep economic crisis that Cuba is experiencing, characterized by food shortages, prolonged blackouts, and increasing social discontent.
Despite this, Díaz-Canel barely mentioned the country's situation and merely stated that the upcoming PCC congress, scheduled for April 2026, will serve to "mobilize the nation towards improving the living conditions of the people."
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