Miguel Díaz-Canel approved on Thursday the dismissal of Alis Azahares Torreblanca as governor of Guantánamo, according to the state media Cubadebate, citing "health problems." With this move, the Cuban regime completed the replacement of three provincial governors in less than seven days.
The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz was the one who communicated the decision to the Provincial Council, which acknowledged the work of Azahares Torreblanca during more than three years at the helm of the governorship —since May 28, 2023— and particularly highlighted his management "in the recovery of the territory following the impact of meteorological events."
He will be temporarily replaced by Carlos Raúl Martínez Turro, who has been the provincial vice governor, holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, and was elected to this position with 95.20% of the votes in May 2023, until a new head is elected.
The resignation of Guantánamo is the third in a week of changes at the provincial leadership in Cuba. On Monday, the governor of Camagüey, Jorge Enrique Sutil Sarabia, stepped down after acknowledging "errors made in the performance of his duties that were incompatible with his responsibilities."
The next day, Díaz-Canel accepted the resignation of Yelenys Tornet Menéndez as governor of Las Tunas, who cited "family and personal limitations that prevent her from continuing in the position." Tornet Menéndez had been elected in December 2024 with 98.58% of the votes, and her term did not last even two years.
The three cases followed the same mechanism: presidential approval, communication from the Prime Minister to the Provincial Council, and provisional appointment of the vice governor. The official reasons vary—management errors, personal limitations, health issues—but no statement provided specific details or mentioned further investigations or sanctions.
During his tenure in Guantánamo, Azahares Torreblanca faced multiple crises. In September 2026, he reported that bakeries were using power outages as an excuse not to produce bread despite having flour, and in October he demanded an immediate solution to the salary delays affecting trade workers.
The accumulation of three dismissals in less than seven days—Camagüey, Las Tunas, and Guantánamo, three provinces in the east and center-east—is unprecedented in its speed and geographical concentration, although official statements do not establish any connection between the three cases or provide a comprehensive explanation of what is happening in the territorial leadership of the regime.
On its part, the mayor of the municipality of Venezuela in the province of Ciego de Ávila was dismissed this week. Rafael A. Ramírez Acosta was removed due to a series of mistakes and irregularities in the performance of his duties, which were listed in the official notice, unlike in the case of the governors.
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