The independent Cuban journalist Yosmany Mayeta publicly announced his intention to run as a candidate for governor of Santiago de Cuba when democracy arrives on the island, expressing his belief that this moment could happen "in a few months."
Mayeta made the announcement during a live interview with Tania Costa, where she also discussed the complex immigration situation she is facing in the United States after arriving in 2019 with a J-1 visa that is incompatible with the Cuban Adjustment Act.
"I have faith. In a few months, we will have the longed-for freedom, and of course, I will be among the first candidates for the governorship of Santiago de Cuba," declared the journalist.
Mayeta was emphatic that the final decision belongs to the Cuban people through free elections and an electoral campaign.
"While the people decide, I want to have the opportunity to compete with others who also run for office, to campaign in Cuba, to raise our campaigns in different neighborhoods, and, of course, may the one who convinces the people be the winner," he stated.
The journalist acknowledged that the road ahead will not be easy. "It will be difficult to rebuild Cuba after the dictatorship falls. It will be extremely challenging, but I would like to have the honor of being the first in that reconstruction."
The host Tania Costa summed up the moment with a direct message to the people of Santiago: "The people of Santiago already know that Mayeta wants to run for governor of Santiago."
Mayeta is a member of the UNPACU (Patriotic Union of Cuba), an opposition organization led by José Daniel Ferrer. Since 2011, she has engaged in independent journalism, initially from Santiago de Cuba, where she became known for the popular slogan "Súbelo, Mayeta," which originated from a song by local young artists and has turned into a symbol of citizen protest.
The journalist is currently facing a decisive hearing in Immigration Court scheduled for July 2026, where a potential deportation would send him back to Cuba, a country where he fears reprisals for his activism against the regime.
In May of this year, Mayeta reported receiving threats via WhatsApp from Cuba after covering a fatal accident in Santiago de Cuba allegedly linked to Juan Guillermo Almeida.
After the visibility of her immigration situation, lawyers Liudmila Marcelo and Willy Allen offered to review her case free of charge.
Santiago de Cuba, the hometown of Mayeta, has historically been one of the provinces with the highest opposition activism, especially in the context of the blackouts and the economic crisis that intensified since 2024, making her potential candidacy a symbol of the democratic aspirations of that region.
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