Cuba Launches Controversial Economic Reforms as Revolutionary Ramiro Valdés Is Laid to Rest

The Cuban government approved a package of 176 economic measures in June, introducing more private property, production and market elements. Critics say the reforms favour the ruling nomenklatura rather than ordinary citizens, citing rampant inflation, a 6.5%‑15% projected GDP decline, soaring food prices and an exodus of roughly 24% of the population since 2020. Activist Amelia Calzadilla likened the changes to a Perestroika that benefits elites, while Grandmaster Lázaro Bruzón condemned President Miguel Díaz‑Canel for “embodying the worst” of the regime.

On 25 June 2026, Cuba held a military honors ceremony in Santa Clara to inter the remains of revolutionary commander Ramiro Valdés Menéndez. President Díaz‑Canel praised Valdés’s 70‑year revolutionary career, noting his role in the liberation of Las Villas and his oversight of projects such as the Ernesto Che Guevara Plaza. Valdés, aged 94, was buried in the Mausoleum of the Front of Las Villas, with the ceremony attended by officials, families and the public.

The XXII Congress of the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC) ran concurrently, emphasizing worker participation in the reforms. The CTC reported over 2 million members and urged greater dialogue amid U.S. sanctions and an energy blockade, positioning the labor movement as a defender of national sovereignty.