In a cabinet dominated by men who tend to talk about what isn’t working as if they were detached commentators on the disaster, she embodies the rare case of someone who still seems to believe in order, management, and responsibility.
14ymedio, Havana, 26 December 2025 — In a country where inertia is state policy and improvisation an unwritten dogma, Inés María Chapman (Holguín, 1965) has built her public image around efficiency. A hydraulic engineer, methodical, and obsessive about spreadsheets and schedules, the deputy prime minister became one of the most visible—and most debated—faces of the Cuban government this year. In a cabinet dominated by men who tend to talk about what isn’t working as if they were detached commentators, Chapman embodies the rare case of someone who still appears to believe in order, management, and responsibility.
But that personal rigor has had to contend, time and again, with the apathy, arbitrariness, and institutional indolence that characterize the Cuban model. Her most talked-about episode in 2025 occurred in Manzanillo, where she went to oversee the grim reality of a city that barely manages to supply itself with water. There, before a crowd weary of promises, she was greeted with a cry that summed up more than six decades of frustration: “Lies!”
The video spread like wildfire. Chapman tried to maintain a composed demeanor, but public outrage cornered her. For some analysts, that moment marked a turning point in the public perception of the deputy prime minister: an official accustomed to “solving problems” from above faced the judgment of those below, live and on air. Her reputation as a ruthless administrator clashed with the reality of the country she helps to govern. Shortly afterward, she would be embroiled in another scandal when she shared a post criticizing the Cuban Art Factory for unveiling a star in honor of Celia Cruz on her centennial.
For some analysts, that moment marked a turning point in the public perception of the deputy prime minister: an official accustomed to “solving” from above faced live judgment from below
However, her inclusion among the Faces of 2025 cannot be explained solely by that incident. Within the small circle of power, Chapman has sparked interest for something scarce in the upper echelons of the Communist Party: technical expertise. A woman in a testosterone-fueled machine, disciplined in an environment that favors slogans, she has managed to build a personal brand that, for some, places her among the potential presidential candidates. There has been no shortage of speculation mentioning her as a possible successor to Miguel Díaz-Canel, especially since the economic, energy, and migration crises have accelerated the president’s decline.
But Chapman faces a series of obstacles that, in Cuba, outweigh any résumé. She doesn’t belong to any of the historical families that control the country’s essential levers of power, a network of clans that distribute ministries, military enterprises, and embassies as if they were private inheritances. Moreover, on the island, where key decisions continue to be made by a handful of descendants of Europeans—white, with well-known surnames, and, in many cases, with light eyes—her race acts as a silent brake. Being a woman is another burden in a political elite designed by and for men who grew up under the iron grip of Castroism.
Furthermore, on the Island, key decisions continue to be made by a handful of descendants of Europeans.
Despite this, Chapman has learned to move with calculated precision. Quiet at times, expansive at others, she has known how to manage her silences, measure every gesture, and take advantage of every public appearance. In televised meetings, she usually stands out for her direct tone, for her apparent ability to say things bluntly, although never quite enough to openly challenge the power structure that sustains her.
Her presence in flooded neighborhoods, after burst pipes or at half-finished treatment plants, has made her the public servant who steps up when infrastructure collapses, which is almost always. The population, however, has learned that no inspection can undo decades of neglect. Hence, in Manzanillo, under the scorching sun and before a fed-up populace, her technical and methodical demeanor was met not with respect, but with the sharp cries of those who no longer trust anyone.
Even so, 2025 confirmed that Chapman remains a valuable asset to the government: disciplined, efficient, and reliable. A woman who doesn’t improvise — a rara avis — in a government that improvises daily.
See also: Cuban Faces 2025: The 14 Faces That Marked the Pulse of Cuba in 2025
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