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In the midst of a reconfiguration in the upper echelons of power in Cuba, Ricardo Rodríguez González, former president of the University Student Federation (FEU), resigned from the Council of State after months of criticism regarding his stance during the controversy over the ETECSA rate hike.
During a session of the State Council, Miguel Díaz-Canel announced changes in the judicial leadership and the acceptance of several resignations within the political apparatus, in a context marked by economic crisis, blackouts, and increasing social unrest.
Among the changes, the ruler announced that the magistrate Rubén Remigio Ferro was "relieved of his duties" as president of the Supreme People's Court, and that the position will be taken over by Óscar Silvera Martínez, the Minister of Justice.
It was also reported that Rosabel Gamón Verde is proposed to replace Silvera at the head of the Ministry of Justice.
In Parliament, the president of the National Assembly, Esteban Lazo Hernández, indicated that resignations were received from prominent figures in the political machinery: Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, former general secretary of the CTC, and Rodríguez González, former president of the FEU.
In addition, a resignation attributed to Homero Acosta Ávila was reported, although its acceptance has not been confirmed.
Rodríguez's departure comes after the wave of rejection he faced in June, when he publicly defended the government and the state-owned company ETECSA following the increase in phone and internet rates.
On social media, Cuban university students made the slogan “We are not represented” go viral, referring to their poor leadership and the alignment of the FEU with the official discourse.
At that moment, Rodríguez praised Díaz-Canel's television appearance and stated that "the message was clear" and that the "necessity" of the measure was explained, which many university students interpreted as a complacent stance in the face of an economic blow that particularly affected young people and families on the island.
As news of his resignation became known, users once again shared previous posts from the former leader in which he congratulated government-affiliated youth leaders and new deputies.
For its critics, such messages reinforced the perception of a student leadership subordinated to the priorities of the Party.
In the same package of movements, the resignation of Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento as a deputy marks the end of his political cycle after years at the helm of the CTC, an organization widely criticized for being subordinate to the Communist Party and lacking a genuine defense of labor rights.
Although the changes were presented as part of a "renewal," another interpretation prevailed on social media: that the regime is attempting to readjust its structure in response to internal wear and the deterioration of its legitimacy.
For many, the replacements do not signify reforms, but rather an attempt to contain discontent with new faces.
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