Cuba in emergency mode: Díaz-Canel calls for changes “immediately”
On Monday, amid blackouts that paralyze cities and endless lines for fuel, President Miguel Díaz-Canel gave the order. His government must focus “immediately” on transforming the island’s economic and social model. It is not a suggestion. It is a tacit recognition that the situation is getting out of control.
The oil shortage is brutal. Public transportation collapses, hospital generators have limited hours and families cook in the dark. This is not your typical ’90s “special period.” This has explosive new ingredients.
“The reforms must cover business and municipal autonomy, as well as the resizing of the state apparatus,” said Díaz-Canel during a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
Translation: They are considering solutions that were previously taboo. Give more power to municipalities to manage foreign direct investment and alliances with the private sector. They even mentioned Cubans abroad as a potential source of capital.
The double blow that explains the urgency
Behind the speech there are two very harsh geopolitical realities. First, the US oil blockade that strangles imports. Second—and this hurts more—the suspension of crude oil shipments from Venezuela after the military actions in January.
Cuba lost its main energy lifeline. Venezuela, mired in its own crisis, can no longer be the generous sponsor it once was.
The fascinating thing here is the timing. When a government announces these types of reforms during an acute crisis, it means that plan B is over. They are not preparing for the future—they are trying to avoid a collapse today.
The question that remains floating in the Caribbean air: are these reforms a true opening or just emergency measures to survive another winter? Cuban history suggests distrusting announcements made under extreme pressure. But when the lights go out in Havana, even the most careful speeches begin to falter.
