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The exiled Cuban journalist Juan Manuel Cao interviewed activist Amelia Calzadilla this Wednesday to discuss the founding of the Cuban Orthodox Liberal Party (PLOC), the new political organization that Calzadilla announced last Sunday from Madrid, where she has lived since 2025 after fleeing the repression of the Cuban regime.
Cao opened the conversation with explicit support for the initiative: "I defend it not because I know or support it, but because I think it’s a good step and I believe that we need to encourage political participation, especially from young people like you." The interview was published on his social media platform X.
During the dialogue, Calzadilla clarified one of the initial questions about the party: its liberal character. “It is more liberal in the European sense of the word,” she replied when asked by Cao whether the term was used in its European or American meaning (in the U.S., the term is associated with a center-left ideology, socially progressive, and supportive of state intervention in the economy).
The newly emerged party defines itself as a center-right organization inspired by José Martí's humanist ideals and free market policies, with the pillars of justice, dignity, and prosperity.
Calzadilla mentioned that he chose the term "orthodox" to adhere to the original liberal trends, with no historical connection to the Partido del Pueblo Cubano (Orthodox), founded by Eduardo Chibás on May 15, 1947, commonly known as the Orthodox Party. He explained that he opted to create a political party — instead of a movement or foundation — to steer the organization directly towards a democratic transition under the slogan "A new path for Cuba. With principles. With freedom. With you."
The young woman, who began her activism in 2022 by denouncing the gas shortages affecting 58 families in the Cerro neighborhood of Havana, admitted that she never intended to enter politics. "I was pushed to be an opponent," she has said on other occasions, referring to the harassment, defamation, and repression by State Security that turned her into a public figure.
She is currently a member of the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba and coordinator of Citizenship and Freedom, and she hopes to return to the island to participate in its parliament.
The announcement of the PLOC sparked a massive wave of support among Cuban expatriates, with requests for membership and calls for Calzadilla to run as a presidential candidate.
The activist Saily González Velázquez stated, "Finally, a party appears that represents me. With Amelia Calzadilla, of course."
The comedian Ulises Toirac also reacted positively with a sarcastic comment directed at the regime: "What’s amusing is that 'the revolution prepared her so well'", referring to the fact that it was the very harassment from the Castro regime that shaped Calzadilla into an opponent.
Not all reactions were positive. The hosts of the pro-government show 'Con Filo', Michel Torres Corona and Gabriela Fernández Álvarez, published a video mocking the creation of the party, ironically announcing "their own political party" to ridicule the initiative. Calzadilla quickly publicly responded to the mockery from 'Con Filo'.
Calzadilla herself summarized the philosophy that drives her project with a quote that Cao mentioned at the beginning of the program: «It is not enough to denounce; we must envision the country that is coming».
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