The economist Elías Amor wrapped up his fourth and final analysis program of Díaz-Canel's 176 economic measures with the most striking statement of the entire series: "I've never seen the end this close before. I can see it right there."
The fragment corresponds to the final segment of the program aired on CiberCuba, hosted by Tania Costa, in which Amor concludes her review of the measures approved by the National Assembly on June 18, 2026.
Love bases its optimism on three threads that, in its opinion, point in the same direction: the movements of GAESA to reposition assets, the pressure of U.S. sanctions, and the upcoming midterm elections in November in the United States.
Regarding the changes in shareholding within the military conglomerate, the economist was straightforward. "That's a sign that very clear messages are being communicated, which we may not hear because there's no reason for us to hear them, but things are definitely not at a standstill."
He also described GAESA's businesses as "hyper-capillary" and noted that the sale of the Mariel Container Terminal —transferred to Coral Marítima S.A. on July 1— is a testament to the real pressure being exerted on the regime.
That pressure has a name and a date: GAESA was directly sanctioned on May 7, 2026 under Executive Order 14404 by Trump, and on June 23 the United States sanctioned new entities linked to the conglomerate, including AUSA, RAFIN S.A., and BFI.
In the political sphere, Amor connects the Cuban moment with the U.S. electoral calendar. "I am convinced that the elections in November, the so-called midterms, both Marco Rubio, who is very smart, and Donald Trump cannot proceed without a good assessment of the situation in Cuba."
To support his reading, the economist draws on his own life experience. He recalls that in the 1980s, with Gorbachev's perestroika and glasnost, many expected Cuba to follow the Soviet path, but that did not happen. Now, he says, the situation is different.
"I have witnessed a dictatorship fall here in Spain, and it seemed impossible that Franco's regime would come to an end, but it did, and it disappeared. There was no more talk of Francoism," he stated, drawing a direct parallel with the post-Franco Spanish transition.
The comparison is not rhetorical. Amor, born in Cuba in 1958 and a resident of Spain since 1969, experienced that process firsthand and uses it as a reference point to illustrate that dictatorships, no matter how solid they may seem, can collapse. "Let's see if I witness the second transition in Cuba as well, which I am much more excited about, of course," he added.
The economist also responded with humor to those who accuse him of being overly optimistic—or of working for the CIA—: "For many years, we have been heavily criticized for that, and they also accuse me of being an optimist, but I just don’t want to look at reality with sad eyes."
His most personal message he reserved for a cousin of his: "I tell her: soon we'll be strolling freely on the malecón, both of us, because it's true, there’s no way to stop this and the regime knows it. And since they know, they have to step aside and, like in other dictatorships, let the tide move forward."
The program concluded with a congratulation to Cuban-Americans for July 4th, the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States: "250 years of democracy, of freedom, and of respect for people's liberties are not found in many places around the world."
The optimism of Amor is framed within a broader climate of expectations. The Cuban opposition confirmed in Madrid on June 1 a four-phase transition plan, and experts like Roberto Fernández Rizo predict that the process will begin on January 3, 2026, when Cuba's economic dependence on Venezuela was broken.
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