Miguel Díaz-Canel closed the VII Ordinary Period of Sessions of the X Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) this Thursday with a speech filled with convoluted phrases to present the ongoing economic reforms.
He insisted that the changes in the government are not a response to external pressure, nor to the internal collapse of the country, nor a move towards capitalism, but rather a way to uphold socialism in Cuba.
In the intervention, broadcasted by Cubadebate, Díaz-Canel assured that the new economic measures "are the instrument that turns creative resistance into tangible victory, protecting the rights we have gained while we open new paths toward the future."
In June 2026, the leader acknowledged that "resistance alone is not enough" while closing an extraordinary plenary session of the Communist Party of Cuba.
During the session on July 29 and 30, the ANPP approved five legal norms: the Housing Law, the Labor Code, the Law on the Organization of the Central State Administration, the Law on Agricultural and Forestry Lands, and the restoration of the mandate of municipal delegates to five years.
Díaz-Canel presented these laws as the "legal shield for the everyday heroism of the people," and assured that 120 of the 176 economic and social transformations approved in the extraordinary session on June 18 and 19 were already ready for implementation.
The leader sought to dispel fears about an opening to capitalism. "The transformations we are implementing today are not for more capitalism, but to defend and advance in the construction of socialism," he said.
In that regard, he added, "There will be no, and this must be made very clear, privatization of healthcare, education, science, culture, or strategic services for the nation."
In response to those who question whether the reforms are driven by external pressures, the regime's president was categorical: "The transformations are not adopted to appease the United States, nor do they respond to any kind of demand stemming from the limited process of discussions we have carried out during this period. They are the result of a sovereign decision by Cuba."
The speech combined that internal defense with a strong anti-American rhetoric. Díaz-Canel described the Trump administration as a "neofascist regime" and once again denounced the "energy blockade" against the island, which has only received one fuel ship in the last seven months.
At the conclusion of his speech, he referred to the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth and stated that "his ideas are sprouting with surprising vitality among people of all generations, from all continents and various political schools."
While the regime celebrates its new laws as a historical advancement, ordinary Cubans continue to face prolonged blackouts, food shortages, and an economic crisis that no parliamentary rhetoric has been able to reverse.
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