EFE – Translating Cuba

Rubio Asks Cubans to Cooperate With the CIA; Regime Invites the Pope in Response

The intelligence agency publishes a guide to help contact it anonymously from Cuba, and Bruno Rodríguez issues threats against the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an archival photograph. / EFE/Ricardo Maldonado Rozo

EFE/14ymedio, Washington/Havana, October 24, 2026 — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged on Friday those who want to bring about a change of government in Cuba to embark on “discreet collaboration with the CIA.”

Rubio published the message on X: “For those seeking to bring about positive change in Cuba, this is the moment. Faced with disappointment over unfulfilled promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of a few, seize this opportunity to create the change you want through discreet collaboration with the CIA.”

This Saturday, the CIA published a seven-step guide on its official Instagram account, aimed at Cubans who want to contact the agency safely and anonymously. The text accompanying the post is explicit: “The CIA wants to know the truth about Cuba, and we are looking for trustworthy people who know the truth and can communicate it to us. Your information may be more valuable than you think.” continue reading

The guide directs users to the intelligence agency’s official website and recommends that those who want to make contact use a new device and email address unconnected to their identity, as well as a VPN with a server outside Cuba and other countries that Washington considers hostile.

Rubio’s message came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump declared, during a rally in Florida, that once the war against Iran was over, the U.S. Navy would navigate to the Island. According to Trump, following its arrival, representatives of the Cuban Government would “raise their hands,” and he would send “Marco Rubio there to close the deal.” The president maintained that Washington would “simply put” Rubio in Cuba and that “he’ll get it done.”

“The CIA wants to know the truth about Cuba, and we are looking for trustworthy people who know the truth and can communicate it to us”

Trump’s statements come amid the election campaign in Florida, Rubio’s home state and the location of the largest Cuban American community in the country.

For his part, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel reacted on Friday by accusing the U.S. of harboring “ambitions of domination” over the Island. He also reiterated the official government narrative that “it is good to remember that we Cubans achieved our true independence on January 1, 1959, and we are determined to defend it.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also lashed out on social media against what he called “any threat involving U.S. ambitions” toward the Island. In a belligerent tone, the foreign minister stated that Cuba’s shores have “beautiful beaches,” but warned that they also have “dog’s teeth”: inhospitable terrain for those who arrive with hostile intentions and a desire for domination.

On Thursday, the Cuban Government had already taken advantage of a meeting with journalists at the Holy See to invite Pope Leo XIV to visit the Island and once again demand the lifting of the U.S. embargo. Cuba’s ambassador to the Vatican, Leyde Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández, conveyed the invitation to the pontiff during a meeting with journalists. The diplomat repeated the official message: “Cuba is not a threat; the blockade is.”

His statements come just days before the United Nations General Assembly debates, on October 27 and 28, the resolution that calls every year for an end to the embargo against Cuba. The Vatican has not commented on the invitation, so there has been no public acceptance by the pontiff and no date has been set for a possible visit.

This exchange of messages is taking place amid a climate of confrontation that has intensified since January, when the U.S. imposed an oil blockade on the Island. Since then, Washington has progressively added “maximum pressure” measures targeting vital sectors of the economy and companies doing business with the Cuban regime, seeking political change in Cuba.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Matanzas Receives Another Shipment of U.S. Humanitarian Aid Through Cáritas Cuba

The package is intended for 700 families out of the 2,100 identified as vulnerable by the organization.

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, October 15, 2026 – A donation of humanitarian aid sent by the U.S. Government arrived this Wednesday for distribution in the province of Matanzas, initially, to 700 of the 2,100 selected vulnerable families, the Catholic organization Cáritas Cuba reported.

The first shipment intended for the Diocese of Matanzas was received by Bishop Juan Gabriel Díaz Ruiz and the director of Cáritas in that territory, María de los Ángeles Castelo, upon its arrival at Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport in Varadero.

Cáritas parish volunteers identified the families most in need and coordinated delivery of the donation in the Nuestra Señora de la Caridad Vicariate, which encompasses communities in the localities of Unión de Reyes, Bolondrón, Güira, Juan Ávila, Alacranes, Puerto Rico, Bermejas, and Cabezas, among others, according to the statement published on social media.

Cáritas parish volunteers identified the families most in need and coordinated delivery of the donation

The beneficiaries were selected according to the donors’ criteria, which focus on food insecurity and difficulties accessing water, the organization said.

It also explained that priority is given to adults over 60, people with disabilities or who are bedridden, chronically ill patients, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children under five. continue reading

A total of 18,200 households in the Diocese of Matanzas are expected to receive the aid packages, which include a box of essential food products and a box of essential personal hygiene items.

Cáritas has indicated that these donations are part of the $60 million that the Cuban Catholic Church is channeling through the $100 million humanitarian assistance fund approved by the U.S. Government to support the people of Cuba.

The first shipment, weighing 18 tons, arrived in Havana last July, followed by others destined for parish communities in the central provinces of Villa Clara and Cienfuegos in September.

Since early October, the dioceses of Camagüey and the Gaspar parish in Ciego de Ávila have also received shipments.

In May, the U.S. Department of State announced $100 million in aid in the form of “direct humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people, which would be distributed in coordination with the Catholic Church and other independent and trusted humanitarian organizations.”

The conditions had already been negotiated in the previous aid package sent by the U.S. after Hurricane Melissa struck in October 2025

The conditions had already been negotiated in the previous aid package sent by the U.S. after Hurricane Melissa struck in October 2025. Washington and Havana agreed that the Church would channel and distribute these donations, although the organization itself has cited difficulties caused by the oil blockade and has acknowledged that it had to coordinate with the Government to send shipments by sea to Santiago de Cuba.

The arrival of the donations comes at a time of heightened verbal confrontation between Havana and Washington, amid what is considered the greatest tension in their contentious relations in decades.

In addition, the situation unfolds against the backdrop of the profound economic crisis the Island has endured for six years, aggravated by the pandemic, failed domestic policies, and U.S. sanctions, which have caused shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, rampant inflation, prolonged power outages, and growing dollarization.

Added to this, since January, has been Washington’s policy of “maximum pressure,” implemented through an oil blockade and secondary measures targeting vital sectors beginning in May, which have intensified the economic and energy crisis on the Island.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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September Ends with Four Deaths and 79 Rights Violations in Cuban Prisons

Almost half of last month’s repressive events affected people deprived of their liberty, “some of whom protested inside the detention centers”

Detail of a meal in a Cuban prison. / PD

EFE (via 14ymedio) Havana, October 13, 2026 / The NGO Cuban Prisons Documentation Center (CDPC) recorded 79 rights violations against incarcerated people and four inmate deaths in September, according to its recent report on that period.

The CDPC – based in Mexico – said it documented complaints of rights violations in 34 prisons, forced labor camps and criminal investigation centers across 12 Cuban provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud.

The provinces of Camagüey, Havana and Mayabeque accounted for most of the records, while the penitentiary facilities most frequently named in complaints were Kilo 8 and Kilo 7 (Camagüey) and Quivicán (Mayabeque), the report states.

Among the most frequent complaints, it recorded denial of medical care (27), state of health (26), food (19), restrictions on communication (15) and transfers (9). continue reading

Among the most frequent complaints, it recorded denial of medical care (27), state of health (26), food (19), restrictions on communication (15) and transfers (9)

Regarding the deaths, the report states that political prisoner Florentino Morono Torres, held in the Las Tunas provincial prison, died on September 20 at the Dr. Ernesto Guevara General Teaching Hospital, two days after suffering a heart attack in his cell without receiving timely medical care.

It also reports that common prisoner Reinier Ramírez Domínguez died at the Calixto García Hospital in Havana, 17 days after receiving a medical release from prison [licencia extrapenal], “when his health was already severely compromised due to deficient medical care in prison.”

To these it adds two other inmates in the Mar Verde prison, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, whose deaths have been attributed to “lack of food and severe malnutrition.”

In this update on the situation in Cuban prisons, the NGO reported that 72 people in prison (4 women and 68 men) were identified as affected by some of the documented violations.

Among them, it cites independent journalist Henry Constantín, imprisoned in Camagüey, and political prisoners Roberto Pérez Fonseca and Vladimir Castillo Llanes (both in Quivicán) and Ediolvis Marín Mora (Kilo 7) as those who accumulated the most incidents of this kind last September.

The NGO indicated that 23 of the complaints collected referred to situations affecting the entire prison population of certain facilities.

To these it adds two other inmates in the Mar Verde prison, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, whose deaths have been attributed to “lack of food and severe malnutrition”

It also noted that people detained for political reasons and those suffering from chronic or infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, diabetes, asthma and psoriasis, as well as those living with HIV, were “the most frequent victims,” according to its observations.

The report also includes complaints about retaliatory measures such as suspension of visits and phone calls, confinement in punishment cells and beatings inflicted on prisoners who protest against prison conditions.

The CDPC stressed that the information listed in its report represents “an underreporting of the actual events and victims.”

It further explained that complete documentation is impossible due to “the systematic opacity of the Cuban regime, which refuses to make official information about its prison system transparent, prevents independent observers from accessing prisons and criminalizes the work of documenting human rights violations in these spaces.”

Incommunicado detention “reached its highest level of the year; for about a week, relatives of prisoners in dozens of centers were unable to communicate with them and were left without news”

Meanwhile, the legal advisory center Cubalex also documented that, last September, acts of repression in the country were concentrated in prisons. In a report published this Tuesday, the NGO notes that almost half of the events affected people deprived of their liberty, “some of whom protested inside the detention centers, even with hunger and thirst strikes.”

It also indicated that incommunicado detention “reached its highest level of the year; for about a week, relatives of prisoners in dozens of centers were unable to communicate with them and were left without news.”

It also noted that last month exceeded August by 18 repressive events, despite the decrease in protests compared to the previous month. These events added up to 606 incidents of harassment, since a single event can involve several types of incident.

As for the provinces where the repressive acts were recorded, Cubalex reports that Havana accounted for 38% of the events, followed by Camagüey (15%) and Santiago de Cuba (6%). “The absence of documented events on Isla de la Juventud may reflect underreporting,” the organization states in the document.

Translated by GH.

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Díaz-Canel Reaffirms Friendship with North Korea After Scaling Back Diplomatic Presence in Seoul

Havana withdrew half of its diplomats from South Korea without explanation, although it denies that the decision was politically motivated.

Díaz-Canel traveled to Pyongyang in November 2018 and was received by Kim Jong-un, with whom he held talks at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party. / Estudios Revolución

14ymedio/EFE. Havana, October 11, 2026 / Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel reiterated this Saturday the “commitment to developing the historic bonds of friendship” between Cuba and North Korea, as he congratulated leader Kim Jong-un on the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party, the ruling party in the Asian country. The message comes less than a month after Havana cut its diplomatic staff in South Korea by half, a decision it has not publicly explained and which has raised questions about the future of relations between the two countries.

“Congratulations to Comrade Kim Jong-un and to all members of the Workers’ Party of Korea on the 81st anniversary of its founding. We reiterate our commitment to developing the historic bonds of friendship,” Díaz-Canel wrote on his social media.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also joined in the commemoration and reaffirmed the “will to continue consolidating” the bonds of “brotherhood, solidarity and cooperation that unite both parties, governments and peoples.” North Korea celebrated one of its principal political anniversaries this Saturday, marking the founding of the organization that has governed the country since its establishment. continue reading

On September 17, Havana withdrew two of the four diplomats posted to the Cuban Embassy in Seoul

The congratulations come at a delicate moment for Cuban diplomacy on the Korean peninsula. On September 17, Havana withdrew two of the four diplomats posted to the Cuban Embassy in Seoul, which had opened just fifteen months earlier.

As revealed by the South Korean newspaper Seoul Economic Daily, citing diplomatic sources, the officials returned to Havana on the instructions of the Cuban authorities and not as part of a routine rotation. Only Ambassador Claudio Monzón Baeza and Counselor Patricia Flechilla Prometa remained at the mission.

When asked by the newspaper, the Cuban Embassy stated that it was an internal administrative decision, with no political significance or connection to bilateral ties. However, it offered no concrete explanation for the reasons behind the cutback, which were not communicated to the South Korean authorities either.

The move caused unease in diplomatic circles in Seoul, where the establishment of relations with Cuba had been regarded as a success because it is one of Pyongyang’s traditional allies. Some sources cited by the newspaper raised the possibility that the reduction was a sign of displeasure on Havana’s part, although there is no evidence that it was a response to North Korean pressure. South Korea, for its part, maintains five officials at its embassy in the Cuban capital and has not announced any changes to its representation.

In February 2024, Cuba and South Korea established diplomatic relations after more than six decades of estrangement.

The rapprochement between Havana and Seoul had marked a major diplomatic shift. In February 2024, Cuba and South Korea established diplomatic relations after more than six decades of estrangement. The announcement came as a particular surprise given the Cuban Government’s historic alliance with North Korea, which until then had stood in the way of ties with its southern neighbor.

The decision was met with displeasure in Pyongyang, which for decades had counted Cuba among its closest political partners outside Asia. Subsequently, both capitals made progress in opening embassies and in commercial, cultural and cooperation exchanges.

Despite the reduction of staff in Seoul, there are no signs of a break in relations. In fact, on October 4, a South Korean Cultural Week began in Havana, organized with the participation of the South Korean Embassy, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cuban cultural institutions.

Fidel Castro visited Pyongyang in 1986, on what would be his only official visit to the country

The activities included exhibitions, lectures, artistic performances and events dedicated to the Korean language, the traditions of the Asian country and K-pop music. The official news agency Prensa Latina itself covered the event, which took place while questions persisted over Havana’s decision to reduce its diplomatic staff in Seoul.

Cuba’s relationship with North Korea dates back to 1960, when the two governments established diplomatic ties at the height of the Cold War. Since then, ideological affinity and political cooperation have shaped contacts between the two communist regimes.

Fidel Castro visited Pyongyang in 1986, on what would be his only official visit to the country. During that trip he met with Kim Il-sung, founder of North Korea, and with his son and successor Kim Jong-il, respectively the grandfather and father of the current North Korean leader.

More recently, Díaz-Canel traveled to Pyongyang in November 2018 and was received by Kim Jong-un, with whom he held talks at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party. The visit reaffirmed an alliance that both governments continue to proclaim through official messages and declarations of solidarity.

Translated by GH.

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Caritas Receives US Aid for Vulnerable Families in the Diocese of Pinar del Río, Cuba

The shipment includes 700 food kits and 700 hygiene modules, as part of the $100 million package announced by Washington

The diocesan bishop, Monsignor Juan de Dios Hernández Ruiz, S.J., and the director of Caritas Pinar del Río, Abel Castillo López. / Caritas Cuba

EFE/14ymedio, Madrid, October 9, 2026 / A shipment of humanitarian aid sent by the United States arrived this Thursday at José Martí International Airport in Havana, bound for vulnerable families in the Diocese of Pinar del Río. Caritas Cuba reported that the shipment includes 700 food kits and another 700 hygiene modules.

The diocesan bishop, Juan de Dios Hernández Ruiz, and the director of Caritas Pinar del Río, Abel Castillo López, received the cargo at the air terminal together with volunteers and airport staff. Distribution will take place in the parish of Candelaria and in the community of Quiebra Hacha, which belongs to the parish of Mariel. Although they are part of the Pinar del Río diocese, both communities are in the province of Artemisa.

Caritas volunteers identified the beneficiary families in advance and coordinated the receipt and delivery of the donation. The organization says the distribution will be guided “by transparency, equity and social justice.”

The aid will prioritize elderly people living alone; pregnant or breastfeeding women with identified risks; children under five years of age in vulnerable situations; and people with disabilities or who are bedridden and unable to care for themselves. continue reading

We are fully aware that we cannot reach everyone, and that is a reality that pains us. Resources are limited and priority is given to those who need it most

In a statement, Hernández Ruiz acknowledged the limits of the shipment: “As a Church, we are fully aware that we cannot reach everyone, and that is a reality that pains us. Resources are limited and priority is given to those who need it most.”

The shipment is part of the $100 million humanitarian aid package announced by Washington in May. Of that amount, $60 million would be channeled through the Catholic Church, with the collaboration of Caritas Cuba and Catholic Relief Services; the other $40 million would be handled by other organizations.

The first 18-ton shipment arrived in Havana last July. In September, the US Embassy announced that the aid would also reach Pinar del Río and four other provinces: Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila, Cienfuegos and Matanzas. Days earlier, Caritas had received in Santa Clara another shipment of 700 food and hygiene modules, intended for communities in Villa Clara.

So far in October, the Dioceses of Camagüey province and the parish of Gaspar in Ciego de Ávila, also in the central region, have received shipments as well.

The US State Department announced in May that the $100 million in aid would be “direct humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people, which would be distributed in coordination with the Catholic Church and other independent and trustworthy humanitarian organizations.”

The arrival of the donations comes at a time of heightened verbal confrontation between Havana and Washington, considered the greatest tension in decades in their contentious relations.

The aid arrives in the midst of a deep economic crisis that the island has been suffering for six years, aggravated by the pandemic, failed national policies and US sanctions. The crisis is reflected in shortages of food, fuel and medicine, galloping inflation, prolonged blackouts and growing dollarization.

Since January, Washington has added a policy of “maximum pressure,” which includes an oil blockade and, since May, secondary measures against vital sectors of the Cuban regime’s economy, which have worsened the economic and energy crisis.

Translated by GH.

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For the Cuban Regime, the US Interception of Oil Tankers Is Akin to an Act of “Piracy”

The US announced the confiscation of more than 2.2 million liters of biodiesel bound for a Cuban company sanctioned by the United States

Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. / Prensa Latina

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, October 8, 2026 / The Government of Cuba on Wednesday accused the United States of “intimidating with threats” states and companies that export or transport fuel to the island, and denounced as “illegal” actions that it described as “piracy and plunder.”

This was the reaction of Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, to the announcement made today by US authorities of the confiscation of more than 600,000 gallons (2.2 million liters) of biodiesel headed for Cuba, valued at around $2.8 million.

“The import of fuel by state and private entities in Cuba from any country is legal, in accordance with national legislation and international law,” the island’s deputy foreign minister stated in a declaration published on social media.

“The import of fuel by state and private entities in Cuba from any country is legal, in accordance with national legislation and international law,” the Cuban deputy foreign minister declared

He likewise maintained that “what is illegal is intimidating sovereign states with threats of reprisals from the US government if they export fuel to Cuba, or exporting or shipping companies from any country for taking part in commercial operations of that nature.” continue reading

He also described as “illegal” the act of “harassing and intercepting in international waters ships transporting fuel to Cuba, just as piracy and plunder are illegal.”

“Possessing, storing, distributing and selling that fuel within Cuban territory is also legal, as is transporting it in international waters,” Fernández de Cossío stressed.

He further denounced that it is “illegal, immoral and criminal to subject an entire people to economic asphyxiation as collective punishment for political ends.”

Agencies of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced at a press conference this Wednesday that they had confiscated ninety shipments of the fuel, 71 of them from Port Everglades, in Florida, and 19 from the Port of Houston, in Texas, which were bound for Enetec, a Cuban company sanctioned by the United States.

Department of Homeland Security agencies announced that they had confiscated ninety shipments of fuel bound for Enetec, a Cuban company sanctioned by the US

“It is a deliberate attempt to undermine US sanctions, and all of that is currently under investigation,” said José R. Figueroa, special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office in Miami.

The seizure of the fuel comes against the backdrop of the deep energy crisis Cuba has been suffering since mid-2024, aggravated since January by the US oil siege, a measure the United Nations has described as contrary to international law.

This situation has almost completely paralyzed the economy of the island, which is dragging through its worst crisis in decades, with shortages of food, medicine and other basic resources, compounded by daily blackouts due to frequent breakdowns at its already obsolete power plants and the fuel deficit.

Added to this are Washington’s rounds of sanctions against vital sectors of the island’s economy, which also threaten companies that do business with, or have provided financial, material or technological support to, the Havana Government.

Translated by GH.

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Cuban Foreign Minister Laments That UN Aid Cannot Reach the Island Because of US ‘Pressure’

Rodríguez thanked the United Nations agencies for their effort “to facilitate the arrival of material aid” to the island “in these difficult circumstances”

The UN has indicated that the difficulty of shipping cargo by sea forces the use of air freight, which is more expensive. / UNICEF

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, September 29, 2026 /
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez lamented on Monday that part of the humanitarian aid the UN has earmarked for the country is among the “more than 7,000 containers” that, he maintains, have been unable to reach the island because of US “pressure and threats” on international shipping companies.

Rodríguez made this point to the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA), Tom Fletcher, during a meeting they held during the UN General Assembly in New York.

The head of Cuban diplomacy said on X that he updated Fletcher “on the daily harm to Cuban families caused by the extreme tightening of the blockade, the energy siege and the secondary sanctions of the US government against Cuba.”

He also expressed his gratitude for “the effort of the UN and its agencies to facilitate the arrival of material aid” to the island “in these difficult circumstances.” continue reading

He also expressed his gratitude for “the effort of the UN and its agencies to facilitate the arrival of material aid” to the island “in these difficult circumstances”

In May of this year, the French shipping company CMA CGM and the German company Hapag-Lloyd announced the suspension of shipments because of Trump’s decree expanding US sanctions on trade with Cuba to include “any foreign person” operating in the “energy, defense and related materiel, metals and mining, financial services, or security sectors of the Cuban economy, or any other sector of the Cuban economy.”

At the end of July, the Cuban government stated that the measures were keeping more than 7,000 containers held in various Caribbean ports with food, supplies for the energy and water sectors, and medicines. At the end of August, the United Nations System in Cuba denounced the “challenges” it has faced in transporting humanitarian aid to Cuba by sea, which has forced it to arrange for those resources to be sent by air, “with higher costs and delays.”

During that month, 14ymedio verified that CMA CGM cargo was already arriving on the island, something corroborated shortly afterwards by Deputy Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, who confirmed that the French shipping company had resumed shipments, although only of food, medicines and medical supplies.

“There are foreign companies that have given in to these pressures and have withdrawn from the country. Others remain and continue working with us,” he stated.

Likewise, this summer the state-owned company Medicuba denounced the immobilization of two containers carrying a medication for the treatment of epilepsy in the Colombian port of Cartagena de Indias, because the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd had refused to deliver the freight, citing compliance with the US embargo.

Translated by GH.

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The Cuban Regime Continues Its Effort to Reform the Economy Without Making Political Changes

Pedro Monreal maintains that liberalization will remain limited as long as the State maintains control over the rules governing access and decision-making.

Cuba’s President, Miguel Díaz-Canel (left), applauds alongside Prime Minister Manuel Marrero in an archival photograph. / EFE/Ernesto Mastrascusa

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, September 28, 2026 – Cuba’s Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, reported that, of the package of 176 economic and social reforms approved by the Government in June, 89% (158) are currently being implemented, with 197 supporting legal regulations, according to reports by Cuba’s official media on Sunday.

These measures seek to liberalize and decentralize the Cuban economy amid the profound polycrisis the Island has experienced for decades, attributed to both internal and external factors. The package of reforms has been criticized by independent economists, including Spain-based expert Pedro Monreal, who maintains that without political reforms, the economic ones are unlikely to be effective.

“The 176 measures start from a State-based foundation that remains essentially intact,” Monreal has pointed out. “If it retains control over licenses, foreign currency, and inputs, the State enterprise does not compete: it rations. The non-state sector may be authorized and still remain subordinate. Handing over the management of public assets without modifying the ownership structure, the residual capacity for decision-making, or the rules governing access does not create parity either, but rather guardianship over State assets.” continue reading

“If it retains control over licenses, foreign currency, and inputs, the State enterprise does not compete: it rations”

This Sunday, at the conclusion of a training session on the reforms with the presidents of state Business Groups and Boards of Directors, the Cuban prime minister declared that “changes that will boost productive capacities are already becoming apparent, and with this there will be greater supply, which going forward should contribute to a gradual reduction in prices and to containing inflation, which causes so much damage.”

Regarding the reforms, Marrero stressed that their objective is for the State enterprise to be “more agile, efficient, and coordinated” with the rest of the economy and insisted on “taking advantage of the opportunities” contained in Decree Law 114, which regulates associations between State and non-state business entities, with the aim of “increasing the production of goods and services, replacing imports, making use of available productive capacities, increasing business competitiveness, and generating jobs.”

The head of government also pointed out that transforming the State enterprise into a commercial company “through shares or ownership interests is not synonymous with privatization.” In this regard, he indicated that the aim is to “separate ownership and management, attract private, national, and foreign capital, and improve efficiency, competitiveness, and exports.”

The package of 176 economic and social reforms now underway, grouped into 23 thematic areas, focuses, among other aspects, on decentralizing to the municipal level a series of responsibilities, including administrative, human resources, budgetary, financial, local tax, environmental, and climate-change management, as well as project management, knowledge, and training. It also contemplates changes intended to stimulate agriculture, foreign trade, private and foreign investment, and the real estate sector, in addition to decentralizing decision-making, granting greater “autonomy” to State enterprises, and authorizing private capital to participate in financial activities.

“Coordinating an economy does not mean authorizing coexistence, but creating interdependence among actors under common rules governing access, contracting, risk, and decision-making”

Monreal’s criticisms, for their part, focus on the need for an economic model that coordinates, rather than merely “allows.” “Coordinating an economy does not mean authorizing coexistence, but creating interdependence among actors under common rules governing access, contracting, risk, and decision-making. That is where the main flaw lies. Easing an annex of permitted activities or granting permits unilaterally facilitates entry but does not create linkages,” the economist says.

The expert has also focused his criticism on the aforementioned Point 17, in which he sees “the ‘crony capitalism’ of the Russian transition.” “With the rule of law nonexistent, the accelerated privatization of State enterprises without robust legal safeguards usually ends with State assets being captured by insiders well connected to those in power. One thing leads to another without intermediate steps.”

These reforms have arrived at a time when Cuba is mired in a serious crisis that has lasted six years, during which the Island’s Gross Domestic Product has contracted by 15%, according to official figures. The situation has worsened since January, when the U.S. began applying a policy of “maximum pressure” on Cuba with an oil blockade and a series of additional sanctions aimed at bringing about political and economic changes by the regime.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Receives a New Shipment of 5,000 Photovoltaic Systems Donated by China

Díaz-Canel announced this Wednesday the intention to “make Havana’s water pumping independent” with solar energy.

Image shared by the Chinese ambassador on social media. / EmbHuaXin

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, September 24, 2026 – A new shipment of 5,000 solar photovoltaic systems donated by the Chinese Government arrived in Cuba, destined for a project to electrify public facilities and homes in remote regions of the Island.

China’s ambassador to Cuba, Hua Xin, announced on social media the arrival of the donation, which came from his country and was transported in 200 containers.

“China is supporting Cuba’s energy transition and supporting its efforts to improve the living conditions of the people with concrete actions,” the Chinese diplomat said in a video accompanying the announcement.

“China is supporting Cuba’s energy transition and supporting its efforts to improve the living conditions of the people with concrete actions”

Havana and Beijing maintain close political and economic relations in which the Asian country stands out as one of the Island’s main allies, although the statements have gone no further than mere verbal support and occasional donations such as the current one.

In a message on social media, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez thanked “the Party, Government and people of China for their solidarity and sincere material assistance, at a time when the U.S. Government is intensifying its blockade against Cuba and maintaining an energy siege that causes considerable harm to the population.”

This is the third donation of 5,000 photovoltaic panels sent by China in recent months, following the one received in November 2025 for homes that were left isolated in the easternmost part of the Island after the passage of Hurricane Melissa. continue reading

Last August, a similar shipment arrived and was assigned to health services and emergency medical institutions, daycare centers, funeral homes, state facilities for children without family protection, and bank branches, among other facilities, according to information provided at the time by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported in March on a plan to install solar systems at vital facilities in all of the country’s municipalities, as well as in isolated homes, including those that have never had access to electricity.

This Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in his new radio program, Criterio Compartido [Shared Views], that, to date, 1,418 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic capacity have been installed in the country, distributed among 144 parks, and he cited a target of more than 1,500 MW by the end of the year.

Regarding renewable sources, he said that they currently account for 21.4% of the country’s electricity generation. He also detailed that these have been installed in 99% of polyclinics, 47% of hospitals, 89% of nursing homes and grandparents’ homes, 99% of maternity homes, 98% of funeral homes, and 16% of state homes for children without family protection.

He also indicated that 72% of banks, 97% of radio stations, and 25% of radio base stations have photovoltaic systems.

He also indicated that 72% of banks, 97% of radio stations, and 25% of radio base stations have photovoltaic systems

The intention is also to achieve, in the first months of next year, “the independence of Havana’s water pumping from the SEN.”

The biggest problems are still the lack of batteries to store the energy generated, as well as the impossibility of using the total amount so as not to further destabilize the shortage of thermal generation. Most of the thermoelectric power plants, responsible for 40% of generation, were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and every day around half of the 16 generating units installed are not operational because of breakdowns or lack of maintenance.

Under these circumstances, the country’s energy situation is “critical” and “extremely tense,” and has reached record levels in recent months with eight total disconnections of the National Electric System (SEN) so far in 2026.

The Cuban Government’s main strategy for emerging from this crisis has been solar energy, mainly with Chinese support, and it has launched a program to build 92 solar parks with companies from that country to reach a total installed capacity of about 2,000 megawatts (MW).

But the scale of the crisis is such that the deficit continues to increase despite the expansion of solar energy. For this Thursday, an impact of 2,133 MW is forecast during the peak hour, after reaching 2,170 MW yesterday.

Electricity production from the photovoltaic solar parks this Wednesday was 3,343 MWh, with 520 MW as the maximum power delivered, which moderated the deficit during the morning hours, when it was 1,660 MW.

The lack of fuel for distributed generation and breakdowns at the thermoelectric plants, which reduce this contribution by 467 MW, are at the root of the precarious situation. Unit 8 of Mariel, Antonio Guiteras, Unit 6 of Nuevitas, Unit 2 of Felton, and Unit 6 of Renté are out of service. Due to maintenance, Units 3 of Santa Cruz del Norte, 5 of Nuevitas, and 5 of Renté are also not contributing.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Spain Will ‘Defend Its Companies’ in Cuba and Rejects U.S. Sanctions

Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said that this position has the backing of the European Commission.

Albares also said that Spain is trying to help the Cuban people by sending food and medicine. / EFE

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Tuesday that the Spanish Government will defend Spanish companies operating in Cuba and rejected the use of force against that country or the extraterritorial application of laws and sanctions.

“The Spanish Government will always defend its companies, Spanish companies that do business anywhere in the world, and we do not accept the extraterritoriality of laws and sanctions,” Albares said during an Atlantic Council forum event in New York.

Albares said that this position has the backing of the European Commission and stated that everything related to Cuba must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Island, as well as international law.

“Everything that has to do with Cuba must respect Cuba’s sovereignty, its territorial integrity and, of course, international law,” he said.

Asked about the situation in Cuba and Latin America, the minister said that Spain completely rules out the use of force against any country in the region, including Cuba.

“The use of force when it comes to any country in Latin America, including Cuba, is something we completely rule out,” he said. continue reading

“Everything that has to do with Cuba must respect Cuba’s sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and, of course, international law,” he said

The minister added that Spain maintains a dialogue with the Cuban authorities to ensure that Spanish interests and those of the Latin American community as a whole are respected.

“We have a dialogue with them to ensure that the interests of Spain, but also those of the entire Latin American community, are respected,” he said.

Albares also said that Spain is trying to help the Cuban people by sending food and medicine, as well as solar panels to address the electricity shortage.

“We are trying to help the Cuban people, and we are sending both food and medicine, and we are also sending solar panels to help them with the electricity shortage,” he explained.

Albares’ statements came after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday before the United Nations General Assembly to resort to military force in Latin America if he considers that his country’s interests are threatened.

In recent months, the Trump Administration has tightened its policy toward Cuba with new sanctions against companies from third countries and individuals linked to the Cuban Government.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Costa Rica Brands Cuban Regime a “Vile Tyranny That Has Denied Freedom and Prosperity toIts People”

During a visit to the US in which he met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar reaffirmed the break in relations with Havana

Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar Rivera (l.) with Secretary of State Marco Rubio (r.), during his recent visit to the US. / EFE/Lenin Nolly

EFE (via 14ymedio), San José, Costa Rica, September 20, 2026 / San José/Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Manuel Tovar Rivera, branded the Cuban government a “vile tyranny” that has denied freedom to its people for six decades, and reaffirmed the end of diplomatic relations, on Saturday.

“Costa Rica is not indifferent to a vile tyranny that for more than six decades has denied freedom and prosperity to the Cuban people, who today live in the most despicable misery,” Tovar said on his account on the social network X.

The head of Costa Rican diplomacy added that “we are firm and clear in our severing of diplomatic relations with the Castro regime.”

On Friday, a source at the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry confirmed the break in relations to EFE, adding that it dates back to last March, when then-President Rodrigo Chaves and his foreign minister Arnoldo André announced the closure of the embassy in Havana due to the deterioration of human rights on the island, and asked Cuba to close its own embassy in San José.

“We are firm and clear in our severing of diplomatic relations with the Castro regime”

However, the Costa Rican government had not publicly referred to that decision as a total break in relations. continue reading

In an interview with the US outlet Miami Herald this week, during a visit to the US in which he met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, current Foreign Minister Tovar said that his country broke off relations with Cuba and that the decision was not limited to the closing of embassies and the withdrawal of personnel.

The Costa Rican embassy in Havana had had no diplomatic staff since this past February 5, and, according to what the Costa Rican government said in March, the closure constituted a “firm signal of concern and an invitation for significant changes to take place that would allow for the restoration of the conditions necessary for an eventual reestablishment of full diplomatic relations.”

The Cuban government described the Costa Rican foreign minister’s statement on the break in relations as “surprising” on Friday, since, it claims, it “has never been formally notified by the authorities of that country.”

Costa Rica broke off its diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961, but ties were restored in 2009 by then-Costa Rican President Óscar Arias

Cuba claims that on March 17, 2026, Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship informed the island’s Foreign Ministry, “through a Diplomatic Note and without offering any argument, of the unilateral decision to close that country’s Embassy in Cuba.”

And it adds that the Costa Rican government also requested that Cuba, “without any kind of justification and invoking an alleged and unfounded reciprocity,” withdraw the diplomatic staff from its Embassy in San José and “retain only consular and administrative personnel.”

It stresses that on that occasion, the then-Costa Rican foreign minister, Arnoldo André Tinoco, informed the Cuban Foreign Ministry that those decisions “did not signify a break in diplomatic relations.”

Costa Rica broke off its diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961, but ties were restored on March 18, 2009, by then-Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias.

Translated by GH.

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Cuba Receives New Shipment of Humanitarian Aid from Mexico, Backed by Caricom

The island depends increasingly on international solidarity to ease blackouts and shortages

Handover and receiving ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment. / Mincex

EFE (via 14ymedio), September 12, 2026 / Cuba received the thirteenth shipment of humanitarian aid from Mexico, this time accompanied by donations from the member countries of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the island’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (Mincex) reported this Friday.

During the handover ceremony, Mincex’s director general of international cooperation, William Díaz, thanked the people and government of Mexico for their support, as well as the contribution of Caricom’s member states. The director acknowledged that the aid arrives in a context marked by limited access to food, medicine and fuel, caused by the “intensification of the US economic blockade against Cuba.”

For his part, Mexico’s ambassador in Havana, Miguel Díaz Reynoso, criticized the “illegal and reprehensible punishment” of the “intensification of the energy blockade” imposed by the US on the Cuban regime and insisted that “Cuba is not alone.”

Guyana’s ambassador to the island, Halim Majeed, representing Caricom at the ceremony, called for “continuing and repeating these acts of solidarity, however small they may be.” continue reading

The arrival of this new shipment adds to other humanitarian aid operations to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis

The contents of the shipment were not clarified by any of the parties present. In recent years, Mexico has been one of the most active regional partners in humanitarian support for Cuba, with shipments of fuel and cargo containing essential goods.

The arrival of this new shipment adds to other humanitarian aid operations received from UN agencies, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada and Colombia, to mitigate the effects of the energy and economic crisis on the island, which depends increasingly on international aid.

The Nuestra América Convoy, made up of activists from several countries in Europe, Mexico and the US, and the Spanish NGO Open Arms have also transported several tons of food, medical supplies, solar panels, photovoltaic systems and educational materials.

Cuba has been suffering a deep economic and social crisis for six years, one that has progressively worsened since January with the oil blockade imposed by the US, to which Washington has added a series of sanctions that have reinforced its “maximum pressure” policy on the island, demanding changes to the regime.

The island is experiencing its worst economic crisis since 1959, with shortages of food, fuel and medicine, an inflationary spiral and partial dollarization, compounded by structural weaknesses in its production and prolonged blackouts that can last more than 20 hours and up to several consecutive days in large areas of the country.

Translated by GH.

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A Shipment of Humanitarian Aid from the United States Arrives in Santa Clara

The bishop explained that there are many people in need and acknowledged that they will only be able to assist “the most urgent cases and the most painful situations.”

Arturo González Amador and the director of Caritas Santa Clara, Vanesa Hernández Toledo, at Abel Santamaría Airport receiving the shipment. / Caritas Cuba

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, September 11, 2026 – A shipment of humanitarian aid sent by the U.S. Government arrived this Thursday in the city of Santa Clara, with 700 food and hygiene product modules intended for disadvantaged families, the Catholic organization Caritas Cuba reported.

This shipment was received at Abel Santamaría Airport by the bishop of the Diocese of Santa Clara, Arturo González Amador, and the director of Caritas in Villa Clara province, Vanesa Hernández.

Caritas explained on social media that the Diocese of Santa Clara and Diocesan Caritas will be responsible for the direct delivery of the donation to the most disadvantaged families in the parish communities of Quemado de Güines and Rancho Veloz, with the support of volunteers and religious personnel to “effectively guarantee this process.”

González Amador explained that there are “many poor and needy people and families. We would like to reach all of them, but that is impossible.”

The bishop acknowledged that they will only be able to assist “the most urgent cases and the most painful situations,” because “this is humanitarian aid; it is not a permanent social assistance project.”

“We hope that this aid will benefit our people, that it will be carried out with harmony and serenity, and that for everyone it will be a reason to rejoice with the families who continue reading

benefit from it. We ask for everyone’s cooperation and, of course, for prayers for this mission that we as a Church are undertaking,” the prelate added.

Arrival of the U.S. donation managed by Caritas in Santa Clara. / Caritas Cuba

He recalled that following the impact of Hurricane Melissa on several provinces in the eastern part of the Island last October, the Trump Administration sent aid worth nine million dollars for those affected by the weather event, in the form of food, personal hygiene modules, and some household items.

This new shipment of U.S. humanitarian aid is part of a $100 million package announced last May by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Of that amount, the Catholic Church, through Caritas Cuba and with the collaboration of the U.S. organization Catholic Relief Services, will coordinate the delivery of $60 million in kits containing basic products.

The modules in this donation include rice, beans, oil, sugar, spaghetti, sardines and tuna, as well as soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, water purification tablets, sanitary pads, containers and rechargeable lamps.

The arrival of these donations has generated strong controversy between the two nations. The U.S. maintained from the first announcement of the aid following Hurricane Melissa that it would deliver it only if the Cuban Government did not have access to it. The regime said it agreed to have an intermediary manage it, but insisted that any assistance should be carried out under international cooperation standards and without political conditions.

The Cuban Government calls the U.S. attitude hypocritical, accusing it of offering this aid while hindering, through sanctions, the country’s ability to prosper on its own. It has also protested the slowness with which the shipments have been carried out, although the Church itself has indicated from Miami that the lack of fuel is one of the reasons why, once the shipments arrive at the airport, they cannot be distributed efficiently.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A Judge Gives the Green Light to Lawsuit That Could Regularize Cubans with I-220A

Judge Jacqueline Becerra rejected the DHS motion to dismiss, confirming that the court has jurisdiction over the case.

Attorney Mark Prada, in front of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Federal Courthouse this Thursday, in Miami. / EFE/Alberto Boal

14ymedio/EFE, Miami, September 10, 2026 – A federal judge in Miami ruled Thursday that she has jurisdiction over a lawsuit seeking to regularize the status of up to half a million Cubans in the U.S. who entered with I-220A permits. The attorneys in the case described the decision as an “important victory” and a key step toward reopening the doors of the Cuban Adjustment Act to them.

“The judge decided that she has jurisdiction to proceed with the case. That is the most important thing of all,” attorney Mark Prada, who is leading the lawsuit, said as he left the courthouse.

Judge Jacqueline Becerra, of the Southern District of Florida, rejected the motion to dismiss filed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), confirming that the court has jurisdiction over the case.

However, she gave DHS attorneys one week to modify their request.

The background to the case is a lawsuit brought by 992 Cubans who entered through the Mexican border and were left in legal limbo after receiving the order for conditional release represented by the I-220A form when they were released by immigration authorities. The plaintiffs are seeking recognition by the United States of their legal status and eligibility under the Cuban Adjustment Act, which for decades allowed Cuban nationals to obtain legal residency after living in the country for continue reading

one year.

“We want to clarify that they meet the requirements to apply for Cuban Adjustment and that afterward each individual can pursue their application”

Following the judge’s preliminary decision, the court must determine whether to certify the lawsuit as a nationwide “class action,” which would protect all Cubans in similar situations, and define what legal remedy applies.

Prada explained to the media that they seek to include all Cubans who lack a document known as parole (humanitarian immigration relief) in order to “open the door to applying for Cuban Adjustment to as many people as possible.”

“We want to clarify that they meet the requirements to apply for Cuban Adjustment and that afterward each individual can pursue their application; that people who already have a deportation order can ask an immigration judge to reopen their case,” he continued.

The central issue will focus on demonstrating that immigration authorities processed and released these citizens with incorrect documentation at the border, when legally they were entitled to that historic form of immigration relief, enacted in 1966 by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, which provides a special and simplified procedure for Cuban citizens to obtain permanent residence in the United States.

Attorney Claudia Cañizares, for her part, emphasized the “impatience” of the Cuban community over a case of “great impact,” and noted that the judge herself urged that the process be expedited.

The case is unfolding amid the immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, which has multiplied migrant arrests and drastically reduced the granting of residency permits.

The majority of Cubans with I-220A are people who fled the Island following the massive antigovernment protests of 2021

The majority of Cubans with I-220A are people who fled the Island following the massive antigovernment protests of 2021, in what was one of the largest exoduses, along the “volcano route,” heading to Nicaragua.

After traveling through Central America, thousands of them crossed the border between Mexico and the U.S., the vast majority seeking to reach Florida. Many sold their properties on the Island, their homes and their vehicles, to finance the journey through several countries and pay the coyotes.

A little more than a year later, in the face of that unstoppable exodus, the Biden administration established humanitarian parole and, with it, the possibility of traveling to the U.S. legally and without the risks of the overland journey through Central America and Mexico. But those with I-220A did not receive this benefit.

In September 2023, the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals rejected the possibility that migrants who entered that country with the I-220A form could make use of the Cuban Adjustment Act to apply for residency, forcing people to process their political asylum claims through the ordinary court system.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Spain’s Supreme Court Temporarily Suspends Voting Rights for Those Naturalized Under the ‘Grandchildren Law’

Applications will continue to be processed, but applicants will not be added to the electoral register while the underlying appeal is being resolved, unless the consulate expressly certifies their eligibility.

The court is urging consulates to certify that naturalizations are being carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law, rather than the instruction. / 14ymedio

EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid, September 8, 2026 / Spain’s Supreme Court has suspended the addition to the Electoral Census of Absent Residents (CERA) of those registered as a result of the Grandchildren Law, until consulates certify that the newly naturalized citizens meet the requirement of being descendants of children or grandchildren of Spanish exiles.

The Administrative Litigation Chamber partially granted the precautionary measure requested by the Iustitia Europa and Vox political parties in appeals filed against a decision by the Central Electoral Board (JEC) on July 16. Among other matters, the JEC had stated that it could not order the rejection of postal voting from abroad because doing so exceeded its powers.

The Grandchildren Law, through a provision included in the Democratic Memory Law enacted on October 19, 2022, allows children and grandchildren of Spaniards by birth to apply for Spanish nationality, provided they meet the requirements of having been born outside Spain and that their father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother was originally Spanish and suffered exile for political, ideological, religious, or sexual-orientation reasons.

The Government approved an instruction stating that the status of exile would be “presumed” for all Spaniards who left the country between 1936 and 1955

However, a week later the Government approved an instruction stating that the status of exile would be “presumed” for all Spaniards who left the country between 1936 and 1955.

Now, the high court has suspended the electoral effects of registration in the CERA for subsequent electoral processes until its ruling is issued, except in cases where applicants can demonstrate that they are descendants of people persecuted by the Franco regime in accordance with the law, according to continue reading

the ruling announced by the court on Tuesday, pending formal notification of the order. The decision includes a dissenting opinion.

“The suspension shall not apply to persons for whom the officials responsible for the consular registers issue a certificate confirming that they were born outside Spain to a father or mother, grandfather or grandmother who was originally Spanish and who suffered exile for political, ideological, religious, or sexual-identity orientation reasons (…) without having applied the presumption established in the instruction.”

In other words, consulates must certify that the naturalizations are being carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and not the instruction in order for applicants to be registered in the CERA. To this end, the court has ordered the JEC to require this “immediately” from the consulates.

It also ordered the Electoral Census Office to separate the electoral-registration applications resulting from the direct application of the exile provisions established by the law from those approved under the interpretation contained in the instruction.

Around 2.4 million descendants of people who were forced into exile following the Civil War (1936–1939) or because of Francoist persecution have applied for Spanish nationality through this avenue

The court also asked the JEC to press the Electoral Census Office to send it the complete report it requested on July 16 concerning the application of the so-called Grandchildren Law and postal voting by absent residents, as well as to prepare an instruction establishing precise criteria for determining the municipality in which voters should be registered.

Around 2.4 million descendants of people forced into exile following the Civil War (1936–1939) or because of Francoist persecution have applied for Spanish nationality through this route. Of these, 544,722 applications have been approved and 306,000 people are already registered as Spanish citizens, according to the latest official figures.

In Cuba, according to sources at Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited by 14ymedio, more than 600,000 Cubans had applied for or begun the process of obtaining Spanish nationality under the Democratic Memory Law at the Spanish Consulate in Havana. The figure includes both those who had formally submitted their applications and those who had requested an appointment before the deadline closed on October 22, 2025.

Government spokesperson Elma Saiz made clear that the Government does not agree with the decision adopted by the Supreme Court on Tuesday and referred to the Central Electoral Board’s previous position. The JEC includes eight judges from the Supreme Court itself.

“We do not agree with this decision, which runs contrary to the position of the Government and also that of the Central Electoral Board,” the minister responded to a question at the press conference following the Council of Ministers meeting, shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision became known.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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