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The Cuban opponent José Daniel Ferrer García, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), enthusiastically celebrated the victory of Argentine President Javier Milei in the legislative elections held this Sunday, in which the party La Libertad Avanza (LLA) received more than 40% of the votes and consolidated its dominance in Congress.
"Congratulations to Javier Milei and La Libertad Avanza on their electoral victory. A very good piece of news for #Argentina and the entire continent. A very good piece of news for Cubans who love freedom! Long live freedom, damn it!" wrote Ferrer on his X account (formerly Twitter), a message that quickly went viral among Cuban opposition members and supporters of the Argentine president.
The activist, recently exiled in the United States after years of imprisonment and harassment by the Cuban regime, interpreted the electoral outcome as a sign of hope for democratic forces in Latin America, especially in countries where authoritarian regimes persist.
His congratulations were part of a series of reactions from Latin American leaders and activists who see the Argentine libertarian advance as an opportunity to reshape the regional political landscape.
Since his arrival in the United States, the Cuban opposition leader has intensified his agenda of denouncing the regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel and Raúl Castro, while coordinating a support network for families of political prisoners on the Island. As he has reiterated on multiple occasions, his exile does not mean the end of his activism.
Ferrer’s post was echoed by Cuban users, many of whom are in exile, who viewed Milei's victory as a symbolic defeat of the leftist populism that prevails in much of the continent.
Milei and the Cuban regime: A relationship marked by ideological confrontation
The Argentine president Javier Milei has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Cuban regime even before taking office.
His libertarian and confrontational discourse against socialism has placed him at the opposite end of the Palace of the Revolution, which has lost an old ally in Buenos Aires and gained a determined critic.
During his presidential campaign in 2023, Milei left no doubt about his stance: he described the Cuban system as "bloody, murderous, and hunger-inducing," and defined the Island as "a prison and a hell" ruled by communists.
After the social uprising of July 11, 2021 (11J), the economist sent a message to the Cuban protesters encouraging them not to give up: “Cuban brothers, do not give in. Move forward! Long live freedom, damn it!”.
His statements, laden with a provocative tone, align with his view that communism is “a poverty-stricken ideology that is inimical to individual freedom.” In several television programs in Argentina, Milei has used Cuba as an example of the failure of state socialism, political repression, and the economic collapse caused by decades of centralism.
Once elected president, he maintained his stance. In December 2023, he decided not to invite Miguel Díaz-Canel, Nicolás Maduro, Daniel Ortega, or Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to his inauguration ceremony, distancing himself from regimes that "systematically violate human rights."
For many Cuban dissidents, including Ferrer, Milei's rise represents a breath of fresh air in the region and a message of support for those fighting against the authoritarian regimes on the continent.
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