Miguel Díaz-Canel posted a statement on his Facebook profile on Thursday, in which he claimed that the transformations of the Cuban regime are undertaken "in a collective and democratic manner, in consultation with the people," and the response from Cubans was swift: a flood of mockery, sarcasm, and indignation filled the comments on the post.
The statement, shared from the official profile of the leader in the context of the closing of the VII Ordinary Period of Sessions of the X Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power, was as follows: "We have set out to undertake the transformations demanded by the moment, under the leadership of the Party, in a collegial and democratic manner, in consultation with the people, without compromising independence, national sovereignty, or the social achievements of the Revolution."
The same Díaz-Canel who on July 21 had clarified that all reforms will be "under the control of the Party" appeared before the National Assembly speaking about democracy and popular consultation, in a country where the Constitution recognizes the Communist Party as the superior force and the only legal political organization, and where there are no multi-party elections.
The contradiction did not go unnoticed. "What country does he live in?" asked an internet user with a laughing emoji. Another was more direct: "Excuse me, but I am the people, and no one consulted me, so if something goes wrong, it’s not my fault." A third summed up the general mood with biting irony: "Let’s eat willpower, then."
Questions about the supposed "social achievements of the Revolution" also multiplied. "Can someone clarify what the social achievements of the Revolution are?" wrote one user. "Social achievements... what a joke," added another. And yet another pointed out the historical absurdity with surgical precision: "For 67 years they have been making transformations; are they trying to create dinosaurs?"
The context in which Díaz-Canel utters these words makes them even harder to digest. Cuba has experienced an economic contraction of about 20% since 2020, with projections of an additional decline between 6.5% and 7.2% in 2026, according to estimates from CEPAL and independent economists. Power outages exceed 20 hours daily in large areas of the country, inflation is rising uncontrollably, and shortages of food, medicine, and fuel are chronic.
In this context, the National Assembly approved five new laws: a Labor Code that incorporates elements like telecommuting and multiple jobholding, a Housing Law that recognizes up to two primary properties and expands the role of the private sector in construction, an Agricultural and Forestry Land Law, an Organizational Law of the Central State Administration —which reduces the central bodies from 27 to 21— and a Law on the Personal Identity and Residence System.
Díaz-Canel also reported that 120 out of the 176 transformations of the economic and social package were already ready for implementation, and that of the 121 measures planned for June and July, 110 had been approved, which is 90.9% of the total. In the same speech, he described the United States government as a "neofascist regime" and demanded that Cuban leaders maintain a "high ethical conduct" amidst the crisis.
An internet user recalled in the comments that there are homes in the Guamá municipality that remain without roofs following the passage of Cyclone Melisa, while the leader speaks of transformations from a podium. Another summarized decades of unfulfilled promises with an unanswered question: "In the '60s, in the '70s, in the '80s, in the '90s... and so on, decade after decade for almost 70 years. How many more? As many as we can endure?"
It is not the first time that Cubans ridicule Díaz-Canel on social media following a grandiose statement: in July, when he spoke of a "resounding VICTORY" at the UN, comments were filled with sarcasm; when he called for the "inventiveness and joy" of the people during July 26, the response was equally ironic. This time, the word "democratic" was enough to unleash the same storm. "The only measures to escape this misery are true democracy and freedom of thought," concluded a user, with a clarity that no official discourse has managed to refute.
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