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The Cuban opposition leader Marcelino Miyares Sotolongo, a Christian Democrat in exile and veteran of Brigade 2506, passed away this Wednesday, as confirmed by the Director of Strategies at the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, Yaxys Cires.
Cires described Miyares as "a great Christian Democrat and advocate for unity and consensus among diverse groups," highlighting his role in promoting spaces for dialogue and cooperation within the Cuban opposition in exile.
"I believed that the problem of Cuba is so large that it cannot be solved by a single person or group. He clearly invested in the young people and marked the lives of many with his practical, yet enthusiastic and patriotic vision," Cires stated to the portal Diario de Cuba when referring to his political legacy.
Over the decades, Miyares combined political activity with academic, business, and media work, becoming a significant figure within the Cuban exile community and in the Christian democratic movement linked to proposals for democratic transition in Cuba.
Political trajectory and Christian democratic leadership
Marcelino Miyares was the founder and president of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) of Cuba, an organization established in the early 1990s through the unification of several Christian-inspired groups.
Within that party, he drafted the manifesto "Models for a Peaceful Transition in Cuba," a document that outlined political proposals for a potential democratic change on the island.
In addition, he participated in the establishment of other political initiatives of the Cuban exile.
He was a co-founder and president of the Cuban Committee for Democracy, established in 1991, as well as a co-founder of the Consenso Cubano platform, a space aimed at fostering dialogue among different opposition sectors.
On the international stage, he also served as the political vice president of the Christian Democratic Organization of America, where he maintained connections with political parties and organizations of that ideology throughout the continent.
Between 1970 and 1990, Miyares was part of the Center for the Study and Development of Political Leadership in Chicago, an institution dedicated to the study and training of political leadership.
Academic training and international activity
Born in Limonar, Matanzas, in 1937, Miyares spent much of his professional life in the United States.
She earned a PhD in Political Science from Northwestern University in Chicago and a master's degree in International Relations from Georgetown University in Washington.
His academic and political background led him to participate as an international electoral observer in several processes in Latin America. Notably, he took part in missions in Venezuela (2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010), Mexico (2007), Bolivia (2008), and Colombia (2010).
In addition to his political activity, he was the author and editor of various works on Cuban reality and the role of the diaspora in international politics.
Among its publications are "Changes in Cuba 2012," published by the German foundation Konrad Adenauer Stiftung; "Realities and Perspectives: Dialogues Among Cubans," published in 2014; and "Models of Political Participation of Hispanics in the U.S.," published in 1976 by Arno Press, a The New York Times publication.
Career in television, advertising, and audiovisual production
Alongside his political activities, Miyares developed an extensive career as a businessman and producer in the worlds of television, advertising, and marketing aimed at the Hispanic audience in the United States.
He was the founder and president of Operations-Market-Advertising Research, Inc., as well as Times Square Studios, Hispanic American TV, and WBBS Channel 60 television in Chicago.
She also directed the consulting firm MM Comunicaciones, focused on the development of media projects in America, with offices in Miami and Panama.
In the audiovisual field, he participated as a creative director in more than 100 advertising campaigns and produced numerous television programs. Notable among his projects are the film "Amigos" (1984) and the documentary "Nadie Escuchaba," by filmmaker Néstor Almendros.
For years, he also maintained the political blog "América Nuestra," from which he commented on current political events and the situation in Cuba.
Participation in Brigade 2506
Miyares was also a veteran of Brigade 2506, the force made up of Cuban exiles that participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 with the aim of overthrowing Fidel Castro's government.
As a member of that brigade, he was part of the fighters who landed at Playa Girón during that military operation. After the defeat of the invasion, many of the brigade members were captured by the Cuban government and later released through negotiations.
Throughout his life, Miyares remained connected to the Cuban political exile, combining his business activities with the promotion of democratic transition proposals for the island.
His passing marks the loss of a figure who actively participated in exile politics, Christian democratic thought, and discussions about the political future of Cuba for decades.
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