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An informal poll published on Facebook by Cuban activist Elieser El Bayardo with the question "Do you want Díaz-Canel to leave power?" went viral this weekend, accumulating thousands of comments in just a few hours with a resounding result: the vast majority of participants, connecting from the Island, responded with a yes.
The publication arrived at a particularly timely moment: just a day after Díaz-Canel declared in an interview with NBC News that resignation "is not part of our vocabulary", and that he would only consider leaving "if the Cuban people understand that I am unfit for the position", marking his first appearance on American television since Fidel Castro participated in the same program, "Meet the Press", in 1959.
El Bayardo himself emphasized the significance of the exercise: "It may seem trivial, but it's not. In just 3 hours, there were over 8,000 comments, and nearly 95% said yes, that he should step down from power. I can also assure you that more than 59% of the views on the post are from Cuba."
That fact —that more than half of those who saw the survey are located on the Island, where internet access is limited and repression for participating in digital environments is increasing— lends considerable symbolic weight to the exercise, despite its informal and non-binding nature.
The comments from Cubans ranged from sarcasm to genuine exasperation. "Even he knows the answer," wrote one user. Another was more emphatic: "I want him out of the life and history of Cubans." A third opted for multilingualism as a form of emphasis: "Yes, Yes, Oui, Sì, Sim, Ja... there’s my answer in 10 languages; it’s not that I’m a polyglot, it’s just that I wanted it to be understood worldwide."
Humor was not lacking: "I'm sure he will, but he shouldn't go alone; he should take the whole crew with him"; nor was there a lack of direct irony: "I believe that question is unnecessary."
But there were also voices that warned that the problem goes beyond one individual. "We would all like that, but changing one person for another doesn't solve anything. We need democracy and justice," wrote a participant. Another concluded with a phrase that captures the sentiment of many: "The most important thing is a free and democratic Cuba; in the end, one appointed position can be replaced by another. Homeland and Life."
The context in which this survey arises cannot be overlooked. In his interview with host Kristen Welker, Díaz-Canel not only refused to resign but also retaliated with visible irritation: “Do you ask that question to Trump? Does it come from the U.S. State Department?” . Welker responded that she had asked equally tough questions to Trump and other presidents.
The survey by El Bayardo functions, then, as the response that the Cuban people were unable to give directly to the leader: the same question he dodged on television, answered by thousands from within and outside the Island. This doesn't take into account the direct response coming from the ongoing systematic and growing popular protests that have not ceased even with the ongoing repression.
It is not the first time something like this has happened. In January of this year, a 24-year-old woman from Santiago de Cuba was summoned by State Security and forced to delete a viral poll on Facebook that invited people to vote for Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, or for Díaz-Canel. The pattern is consistent: every time an informal space for expression opens, the rejection of the leader is massive. Will he ever listen to his people?
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