The Cuban Women's Federation (FMC) held its national plenary this Wednesday with a declared objective: to mobilize the women of the island in support of the economic measures package announced by the regime, as reported by the state channel Canal Caribe.
At the meeting, Teresa Amarelle Boué, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba and general secretary of the FMC, was present along with members of the secretariat and representatives from all regions of the country.
"All the issues within the policies that have been developed, the Federation has always been there," said Mariela Castro.
And he continued: "Now there is a very important task, which is to be able to constantly engage in dialogue with our people, clarifying all the new measures."
The plenary session takes place days after the regime approved a package of 176 economic and social measures organized into 23 axes, considered the most significant attempt at structural reform since the Special Period of the 1990s.
Measures include the authorization of private banking under the supervision of the Central Bank, the gradual elimination of the rationing booklet, the replacement of universal subsidies with targeted assistance, and the opening up to foreign direct investment in the private sector, including small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Central Committee of the PCC approved the program on June 17 in an extraordinary session, and the Council of State confirmed it the following day. This Wednesday, the Council of Ministers was analyzing the implementation of those transformations.
Mariela Castro Espín, daughter of Raúl Castro, member of the National Assembly and director of the National Center for Sex Education, participated on Tuesday in the reopening of the National Advisory Council of the FMC in Havana, an event also attended by Amarelle Boué.
The FMC serves as a bridge between the single party and the female population of the country. Its general secretary is a member of the Political Bureau, reflecting the organic integration between the organization and the PCC.
Cuba is experiencing a severe economic crisis characterized by widespread blackouts, shortages of fuel and food, rampant inflation, and an unprecedented exodus of its population. The regime aims for its mass organizations—among them the FMC, the Central Workers' Union of Cuba, and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution—to legitimize and disseminate reforms among the population.
Amarelle Boué declared during the Extraordinary Plenary of the PCC on June 18 that "there is neither a failed state nor collapse," although she acknowledged a "very severe economic situation" that, in her opinion, requires urgent changes.
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