Carolina Barrero, president and executive director of Ciudadanía y Libertad, warned this week that the end of the Cuban regime will not automatically lead to a consolidated democracy, and called for protecting citizens against populism and any form of authoritarianism that may arise after the fall of the dictatorship.
"The end of the dictatorship is near, but that does not guarantee that we can immediately consolidate a democracy," Barrero stated in the video shared on his social media. "We must elevate the democratic culture so that we are protected against any effort, any populism that may arise."
Using the metaphor of the "Piper of Hamelin," the activist warned about charismatic leaders capable of manipulating citizens who lack adequate civic education: "So that no tyrant, no storyteller, nor any Piper of Hamelin can deceive any of us again, and so that we can decide with information and distinguish what we want for Cuba as a nation, as a people, as citizens."
Ciudadanía y Libertad was established in 2023 and publicly presented on July 7, 2024, on the eve of the third anniversary of 11J, with the mission of defending the rights to association, peaceful assembly, and political participation. Its approach is not only immediate resistance to the regime but also long-term work in democratic culture.
Barrero has taken that voice to international forums. In March 2025, she appeared before the UN in New York during the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where she described Cuba as a "failed state" and denounced that the Federation of Cuban Women does not represent Cuban women.
In April 2026, the program coordinator of the organization Ciudadanía y Libertad, Amelia Calzadilla appeared before the Basque Parliament to denounce political prisoners and systematic repression.
Barrero's warning comes at a time of maximum pressure from Washington on Havana. Since January 2025, the Trump administration has imposed over 240 sanctions against the regime.
On May 1st, Trump signed Executive Order 14404, expanding extraterritorial sanctions. This Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced direct sanctions against GAESA and its CEO, describing the military conglomerate as "the heart of the kleptocratic communist system in Cuba."
This scenario fuels the perception that the regime may be close to its end, but the Venezuelan case serves as an immediate warning.
After the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, Venezuela has not achieved a clean democratic transition: according to reports from El País, political arrests persist and the structure of chavismo remains active under Delcy Rodríguez, with at least 87 new political arrests recorded since then.
Other platforms of Cuban civil society have also developed proposals for that "next day." The document “Cuba Libre: Civic Commitment to Transition to Democracy”, coordinated by Archivo Cuba in August 2022, suggests dismantling repressive bodies and exercising civil resistance until the end of the dictatorship.
On its part, the “Agreement for Liberation for Cuba”, publicly recognized in April 2026, proposes a roadmap in three phases: liberation, stabilization, and democratization, with free elections supervised internationally.
These initiatives, along with the work of Ciudadanía y Libertad, are signs of a growing activation and maturity of Cuban civil society, both in the diaspora and within the island. "Let it be the citizens who ultimately decide, armed with the information and resources necessary to shield themselves from any tales," Barrero concluded.
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