Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged this Thursday that there is growing concern among Cubans regarding the scope of the economic reforms promoted by the regime, particularly regarding the expansion of the private sector and the increase in inequalities, although he defended that the changes do not represent a departure from the socialist model.
During the closing of the VII Ordinary Session of the X Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power, the leader admitted that there are legitimate doubts circulating among the population regarding the course of the economic transformations approved in June, which are considered the most extensive package of reforms implemented in Cuba in several decades.
According to the official media Cubadebate, Díaz-Canel listed the main concerns expressed by the public, which he stated are: the growth of private capital, the concentration of wealth, the rights of usufruct and use of properties, the potential privatization of state enterprises, the increase in inequalities, the elimination of subsidies, transparency in bidding processes, and the effectiveness of control mechanisms to prevent corruption.
"All these matters must be given utmost importance to avoid distortions," he stated.
Despite acknowledging those fears, Díaz-Canel affirmed that the 176 economic measures approved in June 2026 do not aim to alter the socialist nature of the system.
"The transformations we are implementing today are not for more capitalism, but to defend and advance the construction of socialism. A socialism that places the human being at the center of its mission," he stated.
The reforms represent one of the most profound economic changes driven by the regime since the beginning of the so-called "updating" of the model. Among the main innovations are the elimination of the 100-worker limit for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes), the possibility for a single individual to own multiple businesses, the authorizing of private banking and currency exchange houses, as well as the opening up of foreign direct investment in the non-state sector.
This is complemented by the , published on July 22, which eliminated 46 prohibitions for private economic actors and relaxed another 35 activities, expanding the scope of action for the non-state sector, although without altering the Communist Party's political control over the economy.
Implementation, the greatest challenge
Díaz-Canel announced that 120 out of the 176 measures are ready to be implemented and reminded that the National Assembly approved five new legal norms—including a Labor Code and a Housing Law—which will provide legal support for more than twenty of the planned transformations.
The leader also announced that the Communist Party will initiate a process of dialogue with workers to explain the content of the reforms and correct possible deviations. However, he did not specify any timelines nor announce independent oversight mechanisms.
"Participation and popular control are not things of the past; rather, they represent an ongoing line of work and cannot be merely a slogan," he stated.
For his part, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz warned that Cuba is now entering the "most important and, probably, most challenging" phase of the process: the implementation of the reforms.
In that context, Díaz-Canel acknowledged that the path may be marked by mistakes and adjustments.
"It may be that something doesn’t go well for us from the very beginning, but everything will have a solution if we are constantly willing to correct, modify, and adjust anything necessary promptly and without bureaucratization," he expressed.
Doubts about the beneficiaries persist
Although the government presents the reforms as a mechanism to reactivate the economy without renouncing socialism, questions persist about who will ultimately benefit from the opening up.
Various analysts argue that, in the absence of institutional checks and independent oversight mechanisms, the main beneficiaries could be businesspeople connected to those in power, high officials, and state executives who have the ability to take advantage of new business opportunities.
Díaz-Canel's statements come just four days after he denounced during the national event for July 26 that in Cuba there are people who "are enriching themselves obscenely", a claim interpreted by many observers as an implicit acknowledgment of the rising economic inequalities in the country.
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