The first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Artemisa, Gladys Martínez Verdecia, acknowledged the challenges of increasing party membership and questioned whether it is possible to achieve sustained growth in the current context during an extraordinary assembly held in Güira de Melena.
During his speech, reported by the provincial telecenter Artemisa TV, Martínez Verdecia expressed an unusual concern in the official discourse of the PCC.
"Is it possible in such an adverse scenario to achieve sustained growth in the state of militancy?" he wondered aloud in front of those present.
Although the leader answered herself by appealing to the existence of people “who do not shrink in the face of difficulties” and who remain in what she described as the “front line of combat,” her statement revealed the obstacles the Party faces in attracting new members amid the economic and social crisis the country is experiencing.
The statements were made during an extraordinary plenary session of the municipal committee of the PCC in Güira de Melena, where Frank Geda Hernández, a member of the provincial Party committee, and Karel León Díaz, the first secretary in the municipality, participated.
The meeting evaluated the implementation of the agreements from the 11th Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the PCC.
According to the official report, the debate focused on the need to strengthen activism, prepare leadership, and reinforce political-ideological work, priorities that the leadership itself linked to the challenges of sustaining party growth.
The meeting also included an evaluation of the performance of the agricultural enterprise in the municipality, emphasizing the assigned missions, document updates, productivity levels, and the activation of sales points for the cooperatives, before concluding with a reaffirmation of the discourse on political resistance against external pressures.
Martínez Verdecia's words prompted critical reactions outside of the official sphere. Independent journalist Magdiel Jorge Castro stated on the social media platform X that the concern expressed by the leader confirms the deterioration of the PCC and related organizations.
For the communicator, stagnation confirms the social rejection of political organizations that many Cubans perceive as "a burden and a heavy weight for any Cuban."
This internal crisis is compounded by the decision to postpone the 9th Congress of the PCC, originally scheduled for April 2026, a measure announced in December and justified by Raúl Castro as necessary to concentrate resources on the national crisis.
However, in practice, the decision reflects the political retreat of the Party at its most challenging moment of social deterioration.
The statements come amid a sustained decline in party membership, both in the Party and in the Young Communist League, as well as a growing public disinterest in joining political structures that do not provide concrete solutions to everyday problems.
Although the regime keeps the actual numbers of members secret, previous reports have confirmed difficulties in attracting new members and an increase in requests for resignation.
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