The president of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, supported a democratic change in Cuba this Tuesday and stated that the Cuban people are suffering from hunger and hardships, in remarks made to Martí Noticias on the sidelines of the 81st General Assembly of the UN in New York.
His words came just minutes after President Donald Trump described the Cuban regime as an "absolutely failed state" before the United Nations assembly and asserted that it "will fall," in one of the most striking passages of his speech to the international body.
"People in Cuba are hungry."
When asked about Trump's remarks, Paz did not hesitate to support the assessment of the situation on the island.
“People in Cuba are hungry and are having a tough time. Therefore, the State needs to change because the State does not exist for itself; it exists for the people, which is a different concept,” declared the Bolivian leader to Martí Noticias.
Paz drew on the experience of his own country to illustrate the contrast he hopes to see in Cuba.
“In my country, the state lived for the state. The people were secondary, and that has changed,” he noted, referring to the two decades of governance by the Movement for Socialism (MAS) under Evo Morales that preceded his arrival in power.
The Bolivian president concluded his message with a direct appeal to democracy as the path for Cuba.
"I hope that in Cuba, with all due respect and the emphasis on democracy, with a life of coexistence, the State serves the people and not the other way around," he added.
The context: Trump, the UN, and the Cuban delegation that left
Paz's statements come amid a day filled with diplomatic tension in New York.
Trump stated before the General Assembly that the U.S. seeks a "fundamental change" in Cuba and that the regime is "failing like never before," while also mentioning that Secretary of State Marco Rubio remains involved in negotiations related to Havana.
The Cuban delegation left the plenary hall during that part of the speech by the U.S. president. Shortly after, the foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla came out to respond and described Trump's remarks as “falsehoods” and “slander”, denying that Cuba poses a threat to anyone and defending the sovereignty of the island.
A Bolivian twist that Havana already knows
Paz's words in New York do not surprise those who have followed his journey since he won the presidential elections in October 2025 with 54.61% of the votes, ending two decades of Bolivia’s alignment with the Cuba-Venezuela-Nicaragua axis.
Even before taking office, Paz made his position clear.
He did not invite the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, or Nicaragua to his inauguration, arguing that "none of those three are democratic."
In contrast, the Cuban activist Rosa María Payá did attend the ceremony, congratulating the new leader for what she described as a victory for democracy.
Bolivia also abandoned ALBA following the electoral victory of Paz, and the new government reopened the U.S. embassy in La Paz —closed since 2008 under Evo Morales— and invited the DEA to collaborate in the fight against drug trafficking.
In an interview with CNN shortly after his election, Paz summarized his governance philosophy with a statement that defines his distance from the Cuban model: “I need people to eat, move, produce, and generate commerce. I will not introduce ideology; I will introduce solutions.”
Bolivia speaks before the UN on Thursday
The speech by Paz before the United Nations General Assembly was scheduled for Thursday, September 24, focusing on democracy, security, and a new vision for development for Bolivia, according to Bolivian media.
His statements to Martí Noticias foreshadow the tone that the leader will adopt at the podium of the international organization, where the situation in Cuba and the defense of democratic values in Latin America are among his priorities.
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