Miguel Diaz-Canel has been elected for a second term as Cuba’s president. He was the only candidate in the parliamentary vote, which is not surprising because political opposition is illegal in the country. Diaz-Canel received 97.66% of the votes cast in the Communist Party of Cuba-aligned National Assembly. He took over as Cuba’s first civilian leader in 2018, replacing the Castro brothers after almost 60 years of their reign. Diaz-Canel wants to continue his efforts to reform the economy, which has been hit hard by US sanctions and COVID-19.
Diaz-Canel has already tried to open up the economy to small businesses in hundreds of sectors previously under state control, but most companies in Cuba are still state-controlled. His economic reforms have not been comprehensive, according to experts. Cubans face daily shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, and in 2021 there were large protests met with a harsh response from the government. More than 300,000 Cubans left the country in 2022 alone.
Under Cuban law, a president can serve no more than two successive terms. Diaz-Canel is also the first secretary of the communist party, which is the most powerful position in the country.
