Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel blamed the United States this Friday for the serious energy crisis the island is facing and criticized the citizen protests that occurred amid the prolonged blackouts, during a televised address broadcast by state media.
The official television broadcast the meeting between the leader and the press, which had been announced the day before by the regime's media, where he addressed the situation of the National Electric Power System and the increasing social discontent caused by power outages.
Díaz-Canel defended the government's management in the face of the energy crisis and assured that the blackouts are not the result of a deliberate decision by the state.
"It has been three months since fuel entered the country, so we are generating energy with domestic crude oil, thermoelectric plants, and the contribution of renewable energy sources," he stated.
The leader also praised the workers in the electricity sector and dismissed the criticisms of the system's performance.
"Nothing is turned off here out of a desire to inconvenience anyone. I have no words to define the effort of the workers at the Electric Union. They are titans," he stated.
However, while the regime insists on attributing the crisis to external factors, millions of Cubans face daily power outages of over 12 hours, a situation that has sparked spontaneous protests in various parts of the country in recent weeks.
Díaz-Canel acknowledged that the power outages are seriously affecting the mood of the population.
"Power outages impact the irritability and distress of the population," he admitted.
Nonetheless, the leader rejected the notion that the collapse of the electrical system is the responsibility of the government or the current political model.
“The blame is not on the government, the blame is not on the Revolution, the blame is not on the National Electric System. The blame is on the energy blockade being imposed on us from the United States,” he asserted.
In his remarks, Díaz-Canel also responded to those who describe Cuba as a "failed state."
"Are we a failed state? Does a failed state face all these situations and seek to resolve and move forward?" he asked.
The leader even tried to project an optimistic image of the country's reality.
"Beautiful things happen in this country every day," he said.
His statements come in the context of escalating social tensions due to blackouts, the deterioration of thermoelectric plants, fuel shortages, and the deep economic crisis affecting the island.
On social media and in neighborhoods across various provinces, citizens have taken to the streets to protest during blackout nights, demanding electricity and questioning the regime's inability to provide basic services after more than six decades in power.
The official narrative, however, continues to place the blame solely on the United States, while avoiding acknowledgment of the impact of years of mismanagement, lack of investment, and structural deterioration of the Cuban energy system.
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