Alejandro Gil Fernández

Alejandro Gil Fernández is a Cuban leader who has served as the Minister of Economy and Planning and Vice President of the Council of Ministers since July 21, 2018. On December 21, 2019, upon the proposal of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, he was appointed by the National Assembly of People's Power as the First Vice Minister of the Republic of Cuba.

Gil Fernández was born in Cuba in 1960 and, prior to his appointment, was the right-hand man of Ricardo Cabrisa, his predecessor as Minister of Economy, who stepped down at the age of 81. Gil started his career as an official in the Ministry of Finance and Prices, where he rose to the position of First Deputy Minister.

Gil has received significant criticism for his management of an economy on the brink of collapse, facing one of its worst crises since the declaration of the Special Period in 1991. In May 2020, he appeared on national television to request economic donations in pesos and CUC from Cubans on behalf of the government to finance food production, which ignited public outrage. Moreover, Gil has become the spokesperson for the scarcity that has loomed over the island for more than a year during his regular appearances on the Informative Roundtable program, where he frequently alerts the public about the state's inability to meet the demand for food and essential products.