Cuban Communist regime is facing internal and external challenges. The worsening energy crisis and shortages of goods have intensified the dissatisfaction among the Cuban people, leading to rare events of protesters attacking Communist Party offices. Exiled Cubans in the United States believe that the entire system of the Communist regime is collapsing, signaling the end of the current political authority in Cuba.
Having endured 67 years of authoritarian rule, where the Cuban Communist Party is the only “legal” political party, many Cubans have been increasingly expressing their resistance against the repression and economic crises.
On March 14th, protesters in the central Cuban city of Morón broke into and vandalized the local Communist Party offices, a highly unusual public display of dissent in Cuba.
Francisco Botella, a Cuban immigrant residing in Miami, expressed, “I’ve been living here for so many years – almost 47 years – and I think this is the first time I’ve seen something good happening in Cuba.”
“The entire system is collapsing now, and it’s collapsing thoroughly,” Botella remarked.
Jose Collazo, another Cuban immigrant in Miami, noted, “The protesters now are braver than before.”
“If you remember when they came out to protest four years ago, they faced brutal repression,” Collazo recalled.
Collazo often spends time at Domino Park in Little Havana, the heart of the Cuban immigrant community in Miami, where he and other Cuban-Americans frequently gather. Recently, they have engaged in discussions about the Cuban situation.
The ongoing economic crisis in Cuba has exacerbated in recent months.
“Their lives are like the Stone Age, cavemen. That’s how they’re living. Seeing those malnourished, ragged people, it’s really saddening,” Collazo shared.
Hearing discussions about the Cuban situation from American leaders, Cuban exiles like Botella and Collazo see a glimmer of hope.
“I believe this is the end for Cuba (the current regime). I really think everything is over. Either the Communist Party leaders leave or they face the fate of Maduro,” Botella declared.
President Trump recently stated that the situation in Cuba is very bad and they are in talks with Secretary of State Rubio, “We are soon going to do something about Cuba… We are dealing with the situation in Cuba.”
Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, stated on Tuesday (March 17) that Cuba must have new leadership taking charge.
The Cuban Communist regime, currently facing severe internal and external challenges, is in a vulnerable position. In a bid to pressure the Cuban regime, the Trump administration has intensified its energy blockade against Cuba; Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves announced on Wednesday (March 18) that, given the “abuse, repression, and lack of dignity suffered by the Cuban people,” his government does not recognize the legitimacy of the Cuban Communist regime and will shut down the Cuban embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica; Ecuador has closed its embassy in Cuba and declared Cuban Ambassador Basilio Gutierrez and its diplomatic staff as “personae non gratae.”