The Cuban opposition leader Rosa María Payá stated this Tuesday that the main democratic forces in the country are working on creating a common strategy aimed at liberation, stabilization, and democratization of Cuba, amid increasing pressures from the United States to force the regime's exit.
In a press conference alongside Congressman Carlos Giménez and other opposition leaders from the island, the young woman responded to one of the questions from Cubans regarding a regime change, in a context marked by economic crisis, repression, and growing social discontent.
"The main democratic forces are coming together around a roadmap for the liberation, stabilization, and democratization of the country," Payá stated, emphasizing that stability cannot be discussed while repression continues.
"I want to be very clear: there is no stabilization with repression," she emphasized.
According to the explanation, the ongoing transition plan includes a comprehensive approach that addresses humanitarian, economic, and institutional dimensions.
"Includes a humanitarian emergency plan that our people need, includes an economic recovery plan, but it is also a political transformation plan to take our country from a totalitarian dictatorship to a representative democracy, to a liberal republic in which Cubans can seek prosperity and pursue our dreams in the ways we deem appropriate," he stated after the conference in remarks to Telemundo 51.
The activist stated that the demand for real change is “undeniable” both within and outside of Cuba, and mentioned initiatives such as Pazos de Cambio and other civil society organizations and democratic forces that are driving political transformation in the country.
He said that “we are unifying a team that can serve as the leadership of the transition team in Cuba, that can guide the country from the disaster it is in right now towards a moment of free elections.”
He emphasized that “the drive and responsibility of Cubans in exile and on the island is essential.”
It is up to us to rebuild our country, Payá stated.
"We have a comprehensive transition plan that is humanitarian, economic, and also institutional. The Cuban people are in urgent need of change; they are ready for a peaceful and democratic transition, and the United States and the world must stand with us," he declared.
Payá also described the seriousness of the situation on the island, noting that human suffering is "immeasurable." "Despite repression, hunger, forced exile, and deaths, the Cuban people continue to demand freedom," he stated.
He also highlighted the role of the organized opposition within the island, which—he said—operates under extreme conditions. “We are part of and support the network of organized opposition within Cuba that operates under extreme conditions; however, protests continue every day,” he stated.
The statements come amidst a deep economic crisis, shortages of food and medicine, prolonged blackouts, and a steady flow of migration, factors that have increased both internal and external pressures on the Cuban regime.
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