Rosa María Payá, founder of Cuba Decide, met this Wednesday with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, at the Royal Post Office in Puerta del Sol, in a formal meeting that the Cuban opposition leader described as a demonstration of "solidarity and international leadership" against the dictatorship.
After the meeting, Payá shared a message of gratitude on her social media to the president of Madrid, reiterating her belief about the future of the island: "Cuba is closer to regaining its freedom than many imagine."
In her Facebook post, Payá was more explicit: "Thank you, Isabel, for your commitment to the freedom of Cuba. Against a dictatorship that has denied Cubans the right to decide their future for decades, we appreciate the solidarity and international leadership."
In parallel, from her account on the social network X, the opposition leader summarized the spirit of the meeting with a direct phrase: "Freedom against communism. In Havana as in Madrid. Because it is the only antidote."
Payá also took the opportunity to address the Spanish government, as reported by ABC: "Sánchez government, there is still time to stand with the Cuban people."
The meeting takes place at a time of intense international activity for Payá regarding his democratic transition plan for Cuba, called “Cuba at the Threshold”, a document of more than 50 pages presented on November 3rd in Madrid to about 80 participants—diplomats, opposition figures, and intellectuals—at a forum organized by Pasos de Cambio and Cuba Decide.
The plan includes four phases: liberation, stabilization, reconstruction, and democratization.
Among its most concrete measures are the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners, the end of repression, the departure from power of the Castro family, and the establishment of a transitional government lasting between 18 and 36 months without the possibility of extension, along with a provisional Parliament of 51 members and nine technical commissions.
The ultimate goal is to hold a constitutional referendum and free elections with international oversight.
One day before the meeting with Ayuso, Payá had presented that same roadmap to nine former Ibero-American presidents gathered in Miami at the XI Presidential Dialogue of the IDEA Group, including José María Aznar, Álvaro Uribe, and Laura Chinchilla.
Ayuso, for her part, has solidified a position of systematic support for the Cuban democratic cause throughout 2026.
In May, received at the same location the opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, and at the end of October, he declared in an interview with NTN24 that he hoped something similar would happen in Cuba as what occurred in Venezuela after the capture of Nicolás Maduro: “When Maduro was captured, I felt relief and honestly a lot of joy.”
This Wednesday's meeting with Payá is the most recent expression of that commitment, which the Cuban opposition leader summarized with the slogan that has become the banner of her campaign: "Cuba Decides."
Filed under: