Related videos:
The economist Pedro Monreal published a thread of seven tweets in which he critically analyzed the bill proposing to reduce the number of ministries in the Central State Administration of Cuba from 27 to 20.
The document, presented as a project by the National Assembly of People's Power and scheduled for approval in July 2026, merges and eliminates several ministries, including the Ministry of Domestic Trade (MINCIN) and the Ministry of Construction (MICONS).
Monreal was straightforward in his assessment: "They propose 20 ministries in Cuba. Off the top of my head, I can do without the 'Ministry of Information and Social Communication' and there are two missing: the 'Ministry of Domestic Trade' and the 'Ministry of Construction and Housing'."
Regarding the Ministry of Information and Social Communication, the economist spared no criticism: "The term 'Ministry of Information and Social Communication' is akin to a 'Ministry of Truth,'" referring to George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, where that institution is responsible for propaganda and information manipulation.
The second point highlights the disappearance of Domestic Trade as an independent portfolio. "Trade is one of the most complex activities to regulate and govern. Will the Ministry of Economy and Finance handle that?" Monreal asked, questioning whether the so-called "super ministry" of Economy, Finance, and Planning will be able to take on that role.
The third point is the most significant in the current context of Cuba: housing. Monreal warned that "the issue of housing is neither represented nor prioritized in the new Ministry of 'Environment, Habitat, and Housing'" and argued that "housing in Cuba has less to do with habitat and more with the investment process. A Ministry of Construction and Housing would have been more rational."
That criticism is particularly relevant in light of the deep housing crisis affecting the island. The MICONS acknowledged in July 2025 a deficit of 805,583 homes, and only 5,493 units were completed throughout the country in 2025, compared to 32,874 in 2020.
Monreal also questioned the transfer of science to the Ministry of Higher Education: "Taking science to the MES weakens the Ministry of Environment intellectually," he noted.
Finally, the economist criticized the name of the new economic body: "The term planning is unnecessary for the super ministry of economy (it's an ideological embellishment). Even under the current frameworks, the economy is supposed to be centrally planned. It would be fine to call it 'economy and finance'."
The reorganization process was announced by Miguel Díaz-Canel in April 2026, when he promised less bureaucracy and fewer ministries, and the Council of Ministers approved the draft project in May 2026.
If approved in July, the law would come into effect 60 days after its publication in the Official Gazette, with a deadline of up to one year to complete the transfer of resources between agencies. This is not the first time that Monreal has lowered expectations regarding the institutional reforms of the regime: in April, he had already questioned the feasibility of optimizing the Cuban state sector.
Filed under: