Elián González, Cuban deputy and adopted son of the revolutionary discourse of the regime, stated on July 5 before more than 350 people in Gijón, Spain, that being a revolutionary in Cuba today "requires criticism, self-criticism, and creativity."
The intervention took place at the table "The Cuba that is Coming. Memory, Future of Peace and Revolution," held during the Black Week of Gijón as part of the XVIII National Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba, an event that brought together 46 organizations and 161 representatives of the solidarity movement with the island in Spain.
The young deputy of the National Assembly participated in the panel "The Cuba to Come. Memory, Future of Peace, and Revolution," alongside the General Director of the 2030 Agenda of the Government of Asturias, Juan Ponte, and the scientist Fidel Castro Smirnov, grandson of the dictator Fidel Castro (1926-2016).
Throughout his speech, González stressed that the economic crisis facing the island is not primarily due to mistakes made by the Cuban government.
"While we are not free from errors in building the just society we aspire to, this is not our main hindrance," he stated, arguing that the United States embargo constitutes the primary obstacle to the country's development.
The official leader defended that the tightening of sanctions during the first term of Donald Trump led to the deterioration of the Cuban economy, the collapse of tourism, the decrease in foreign currency income, and the difficulties in maintaining basic services such as healthcare, education, and the electrical system.
In that regard, he stated that "they accuse us of a failure that they provoke" and asserted that the blockade causes losses exceeding 4 billion dollars a year, affecting all areas of everyday life.
Despite acknowledging the seriousness of the moment the country is facing, González ruled out blaming the political model for the crisis and argued that the alternative cannot be a return to Cuba prior to 1959.
"The Revolution is not perfect," he admitted, although he insisted that the project must be preserved and renewed.
He also stated that the revolution is facing "its greatest historical crisis in a context of deep transformations," but maintained that the way forward lies in preserving social achievements while updating the revolutionary project.
During his speech, he championed the figure of Castro, presented the revolution as a "living" process, and urged the new generations to take responsibility for the continuation of the political system.
"The Revolution is not a museum; it is a living process, constantly under construction," he stated.
The meeting, organized by the solidarity movement with Cuba in Spain, brought together political representatives and activists aligned with the regime.
In the same forum, among others, former MEP Javier Couso, the deputy and one of the spies known as the Five Cubans Fernando González Llort, along with other speakers defended the official narrative regarding the situation in Cuba and attributed the country's crisis to the U.S. embargo.
González, 32 years old, is an industrial engineer, a deputy for the municipality of Cárdenas since March 2023 and assistant director of AT Comercial Varadero, a company subordinate to GAESA, the conglomerate of the Cuban military-business elite that controls a significant portion of the island's economy.
In October 2025, during the IX Continental Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba in Mexico, González had already stated that the government "does not make major mistakes" and blamed the United States for all of the island's problems, a stance he repeated without changes in Gijón.
In May, González also came to the defense of former president Raúl Castro at an anti-imperialist open forum in Matanzas, where he described the charges from the United States Department of Justice regarding the downing of planes from Hermanos al Rescate in 1996 as a "fabrication."
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