The former MEP Soraya Rodríguez made a direct call this Wednesday to the Cuban opposition in the diaspora: to put aside ideological differences and prioritize agreement as a crucial condition for achieving a democratic transition in Cuba.
Rodríguez, who was a Member of the European Parliament for Ciudadanos and a member of the liberal group Renew Europe, made these statements in the final segment of an interview with Tania Costa for CiberCuba, in which she also discussed the Spanish Grandchildren's Law and Europe's role in the Cuban crisis.
The central argument of Spanish expolitics was forceful: "In a dictatorship, there are no ideologies, there is the oppression of all of them." Based on this premise, Rodríguez dismantled the logic of the internal divisions within the exile community, pointing out that what the Castro regime has pursued was never a specific political movement.
“In Cuba, thinking differently is what has marked you, has expelled you from your country, has made you a hunted person. It’s not about whether your thoughts are right-wing or left-wing, but rather about thinking differently from the regime,” he stated.
From that standpoint, Rodríguez argued that any process of transition requires an attitude of solidarity among those who think differently: “In a transition process, one must have that long-term perspective, and there must be a strong sense of solidarity among those who hold different views.”
For the former Europarliament member, the logical order is clear: democracy comes first, followed by ideological debate. "To defend different ideological positions, we must first have democracy in Cuba," she emphasized.
Rodríguez was also explicit about who should lead that process. “Only a political dialogue among Cubans for Cubans can truly result in a democracy for Cubans.” She dismissed any expectations of external rescue: “There will be no external saviors. There may be friends who accompany us.”
In that supportive role, he identified Europe as the best-positioned actor. "I believe that those friends are currently more in Europe in terms of accompanying a process of democratic transition than in other places." However, he did not shy away from self-criticism: "Unfortunately, I believe, Tania, that we are not [accompanying] as we should."
Rodríguez's call comes at a time when the Cuban opposition has taken concrete steps towards unity. The Liberation Agreement, signed in Miami in March 2026, brings together more than 30 organizations from the exile community and dissidents within the island, and outlines three phases: liberation, stabilization, and democratization with internationally supervised elections.
In June, the opposition coalition and Cuban-American lawyers joined forces to build the legal infrastructure needed for that future transition, a step that reinforces the institutionalization of the united process.
Nonetheless, internal divisions continue to be recognized as an obstacle by the exile community itself, which gives special importance to Rodríguez's message: "It is time for agreement, for solidarity, to think that only a political dialogue among Cubans for Cubans can truly lead to democracy for the Cubans."
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