Miguel Díaz-Canel concluded this Thursday the July parliamentary session with a speech in which he defended the economic and social transformations approved in June and denied that they respond to demands arising from conversations with the United States.
The leader intervened during the closing session of the VII Ordinary Period of Sessions of the X Legislature of the National Assembly of Popular Power, held at the Palace of Conventions in Havana, and was emphatic: "The transformations we are implementing today are not for more capitalism, but to defend and advance in the construction of socialism. A socialism that places the human being at the center of its work."
Díaz-Canel presented the reforms as a "sovereign decision" of Cuba and emphasized that economic efficiency must serve social justice.
He also stated that they will be implemented under the leadership of the Communist Party and without compromising, in his words, independence, national sovereignty, or the social achievements of the regime.
The leader acknowledged the existence of concerns related to the growth of private capital, wealth concentration, usufruct and real estate usage rights, a potential privatization of state enterprises, increasing inequalities, the removal of essential subsidies, transparency in bidding processes, the role of the market, and the risks of corruption.
"A great deal of importance must be given to all these matters to avoid distortions," he stated. Díaz-Canel also assured that "there will be no privatization of health, education, science, culture, or strategic services for the nation."
He also promised to maintain mechanisms for participation and oversight during the implementation of the measures.
“Popular participation and control are not a thing of the past; they represent an ongoing line of work and cannot remain just a slogan,” he noted.
The president announced that 120 out of the 176 transformations are already ready to be implemented. He explained that those aimed at freeing up productive forces, strengthening both state and non-state enterprise systems, fostering relationships among different economic actors, and expanding the autonomy of municipalities and state-owned enterprises will be prioritized.
Díaz-Canel acknowledged that the process will be gradual and subject to errors and corrections.
Something might not go right for us from the very beginning, but everything will have a solution if we are consistently willing to correct, modify, and adjust whatever is necessary promptly and without bureaucracy," he declared.
He also stated that an eventual economic recovery must translate into social improvements: "A gradual economic recovery must lead us, to the same extent, to social recovery, prioritizing the most vulnerable."
The package of 176 transformations, organized into 23 thematic axes, was approved by the Extraordinary Plenary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party on June 17 and was backed by the National Assembly the following day.
Among the measures are the opening to private banks and currency exchange houses, foreign investment in the non-state sector, the elimination of the 100-worker limit for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the conversion of state enterprises into joint-stock companies, and the gradual introduction of the value-added tax (VAT).
The regime insists that the transformations will be under the control of the Communist Party, which is responsible for organizing meetings with workers to explain the measures, gather opinions, and correct any potential deviations.
Díaz-Canel highlighted that during the two parliamentary sessions, five legal norms were approved that support more than 20 of the transformations: the Labor Code, the Housing Law, the Agricultural and Forestry Land Law, the Law on the Organization of the Central Administration of the State, and the Law on the System of Personal Identity and Residence.
The Law on the Organization of the Central State Administration reduces this structure from 27 to 21 agencies: 20 ministries and the Central Bank of Cuba.
In parallel, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced the cut of more than 92,000 positions in the ministries of Public Health, Education, Culture, and Sports, primarily vacant administrative posts, according to the regime.
The session also repealed Law 183, which had shortened the term of municipal delegates to four years. With this decision, the regime postponed the municipal delegates' elections again until 2027.
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