The Cuban writer and businessman Álvaro Ferro-Lugones, residing in Miami, responded to recent statements made by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, who announced that the results of the government's economic reforms will start to be felt in 2027.
Ferro-Lugones published on Facebook a reflection that encapsulates the frustration of a people who have been hearing the same promise for decades, albeit with different dates.
"There is a phrase that we Cubans have heard so often that it seems to be part of the national calendar: 'next year we will start to see the results.'"
For the speaker as well, the problem isn't asking for time to fix an economy, as any serious transformation requires it. The issue arises when time replaces results, and each failure receives a new explanation, a new program, and another deadline in the future.
"A generation waited. Then the next one waited. And in the meantime, the blackouts, shortages, deterioration of services, insufficient wages, and emigration that has separated countless families arrived," he detailed.
"There's always a bit more to do. One more year. One more effort. One more sacrifice," he questioned.
For Ferro-Lugones, the time has come for the government to be held accountable, rather than continuing to make promises.
"If after decades prosperity is still just around the next corner, maybe the issue is no longer how long it will be until results appear. Perhaps we should ask: How many 'coming years' does a government need to start being accountable for the years that have already passed?" he pointed out.
And he ended his text with a statement: "A country cannot live forever waiting for tomorrow while the present slips away through the door of an airport."
The Cuban regime has delayed its expectations for improvement once again and stated that the results of the economic and social measures currently being implemented will not be seen until 2027.
In the official podcast "Desde la Presidencia," Marrero Cruz stated that the government is "convinced" that there will be results next year, despite previous official forecasts regarding economic growth, blackouts, and recovery not being met.
"We already have the path open to move forward; and in fact, we are making progress and can already see results, although the improvement in the quality of life for the population is not yet evident," he said.
The announcement only sparked skepticism among the population.
In August 2024, Marrero himself had stated that the situation would improve in "five years".
That same year, the regime promised that blackouts would not exceed four hours a day in the summer of 2025; however, outages reached 12 hours in many areas and even 19 hours in Santiago de Cuba. It also projected a GDP growth of 1% for 2025, but the economy contracted by around 5%.
Now the promise shifts to 2027, while CEPAL forecasts a decline of the Cuban GDP by 10.3% in 2026 —the worst in Latin America— and an additional contraction of 5.1%, precisely in that year to which official optimism is directed.
The actual figures contrast sharply with that enthusiasm. The informal dollar surpassed 700 pesos in September, reaching approximately 738 pesos per dollar, a historic record. The year-on-year inflation reached 25.19% in August, with food prices climbing 36.01%. The minimum wage is equivalent to less than five dollars at the informal rate.
Cuba has experienced at least eight total nationwide blackouts so far in 2026, with generation deficits exceeding 2,000 MW on several occasions.
The economist Elías Amor was emphatic in assessing the package of 176 economic and social transformations approved in June that the government presents as the largest structural reform since the Special Period: “A complete deception”. He also noted that between January and May, net sales in the state sector declined by 29.2%, and the number of loss-making enterprises rose from 252 to 363.
In addition to this economic situation, there is an unprecedented exodus: more than 245,000 Cubans officially emigrated in 2025, and the population of the Island fell to 9.4 million inhabitants, with deaths outnumbering births.
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