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The Eighth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, which will end on Monday with a comeback Raul Castro volunteers And the symbolic retirement of the old guard, confirmed in the first two days that the main game at stake in the country is economic and the result of this chess largely depends on the existence of the revolution. In the Central Report to the Congress, both presented by Raoul on Friday, and in the Commissions, in which 300 delegates attended the conference, the economy and, in particular, food production In these moments of severe crisis and scarcity, Were the central themes. “The productive structure is unable to meet the level of population demand. This issue is not just a priority, it is a national security issue.
Marrero chairs the Economic and Social Commission, of which three are distributed to representatives. It addresses relevant topics, such as the new economic policy guidelines that are due to take effect in the coming years or the so-called “concept and update of the model”, two important documents acknowledging the Cuban Communists’ conclusion and that reform Should define the scope of.
One day before the start of the VIII Congress, Marrero and the President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel “Joe is the head of one of the commissions”, was an unprecedented meeting with representatives of the private sector and state-owned companies. Both highlighted the government’s commitment to promote non-state management forms (FGNE), which are nothing more than the private sector, Fast moving And called for an important role in reviving the economy.
In a meeting with self-employed workers, the Prime Minister confirmed that A. Legislation for legalization and operation Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are already ready and will begin to be implemented soon. “There is a challenge before us and the government, while also reaffirming the idea of the socialist company playing a role in the national economy, affirming the priority and importance of consolidating and developing other forms of non-statehood.” Is management ”, Marrero said.
Many economists highlighted the holding of the said meeting on the eve of the Congress and considered it a good sign. If the Congress results confirm its policy, “If political will and practical evidence are strongly expressed in favor of the direction of reform, if with authority on what is in the ideological document and on what is contained in the new constitution.” “We will be on the way to overcoming the enormous challenges facing Cuba today,” said economist Julio Carranza, who, like other analysts, is from leftist positions, warning over the years that “time is an important variable”. .
Nor were 63 measures recently announced to reactivate agricultural production, including authorization for farmers to freely trade beef and milk, once commitments to the state were met Was, something that until now was almost forbidden. On the same day that he informed of the measures, the Minister of Agriculture, Gustavo Rodríguez Royro, was dismissed.
At the moment, the situation on Cuban roads is very fragile. Shops are running out of food, food is scarce, queues are desperate and, to increase problems, Complex monetary reforms in progress The Cubans lost much of their purchasing power. With the country in red, practically without tourism revenue due to the coronovirus epidemic – which breaks infection records these days -, in addition to severe economic damage 240 measures taken by the Trump administration During his four-year tenure, Cuba is in dire need of oxygen. And there is a general consensus that this oxygen can only come from changes that the authorities have introduced themselves to economic policies, because it is clear that those who have not worked so far.
How the “concept and update of the model” will be defined in Congress is one of the things to look at, although Raoul Castro has already stated explicitly in the Central Report that state-owned enterprises and central planning in Cuba are the main Will continue in form. In his speech, Castro warned that there would be “limits” to openings for the private sector, although he did not define them properly. The documents that are approved, and then life and economic urgency will tell you how far Cuba is ready to go. On this issue, as Marero puts it, is “national security”.
