Alejandro Gil Fernández is a Cuban leader who has served as Minister of Economy and Planning since July 21, 2018, and as Vice President of the Council of Ministers. On December 21, 2019, at the proposal of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, he was appointed by the National Assembly of People's Power as the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba.
Gil Fernández was born in Cuba in 1960, and prior to his appointment, he was the right-hand man of Ricardo Cabrisa, his predecessor as Minister of Economy, who left the position at the age of 81. Gil started his career as an official in the Ministry of Finance and Prices, where he rose to First Deputy Minister.
Gil has faced multiple criticisms for managing an economy on the brink of collapse, experiencing one of its worst crises since the declaration of the Special Period in 1991. In May 2020, he appeared on national television as a government spokesperson to request financial donations in pesos and CUC from Cubans to fund food production, which sparked public outrage. Furthermore, Gil has become the herald of the scarcity that has loomed over the island for more than a year during his regular appearances on the Informative Roundtable, where he frequently informs the public about the state's inability to meet the demand for food and basic necessities.
