MIAMI, United States. – Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel referred this Friday to the panorama of blackouts that the Cuban population seems to see and said that demonstrations of discontent or protest were not going to solve the problem.
In accordance with CubadebateDíaz-Canel “called for solidarity and to avoid actions of nonconformity, some that generate violence and acts of vandalism, which respond – he said – to those who block us and prevent us from acquiring the means to get out of this situation.”
In addition, he added that “with that [protestas] The situation we have is not resolved. The situation is going to be resolved by complying with the strategy in which we are committed”.
“Our plan has to be one of understanding, of solidarity, as always, of resistance. Of resistance, because imperialism is not the one that is going to solve the problems of electricity in Cuba. Nor is it the one that is going to help us solve electricity problems. We have to solve that ourselves. Looking for income, looking for financing, working with our technicians, prioritizing a group of investments,” said the dictator.
Right at dawn this Friday, Hundreds of Cubans in Matanzas and Villa Clara took to the streets to protest the continuous blackouts that have kept the country in suspense for several months.
According to reports in social networksthe demonstrations took place around dawn in the towns of Jagüey Grande, in the province of Matanzas, and in Sagua la Grande and Caibarién, province of Villa Clara.
In the popular council of Australia and in the city of Jagüey Grande, in the municipality of the same name, dozens of people took to the streets demanding “freedom” and shouting “turn on the power”.
In Villa Clara, on the other hand, popular protests were also registered at night from Thursday to Friday. Residents of the cities of Sagua la Grande and Caibarién took to the streets to protest the blackouts.
“If the government does not let the people sleep, they should not sleep either!”, is heard saying in one of the videos of the protest in Caibarién, published by user Vilma Albuerne Noa.
Cubans take to the streets in Matanzas and Villa Clara due to blackouts
The dissatisfaction of Cubans with the blackouts is growing in the midst of a serious economic crisis in the country, the summer heat and a recent health alert, also due to dengue.
Already on July 14, hundreds of Cubans in the PalacesPinar del Río, took to the streets to protest the blackouts.
Several videos broadcast live on social networks showed a crowd crossing the streets of the town in the direction of the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) while they banged pots and chanted protest slogans.
In the recordings, the protesters could be heard shouting loudly “We are hungry!”, “Turn on the power!”, “Díaz-Canel singao!” and even “Down with the dictatorship!”.
Low generation capacity
Before the deputies of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Díaz-Canel also recognized this Friday that the country It has a power generation capacity lower than demand.
“The causes are known,” he said, and argued that three fundamental elements are associated with the blockade.
“The blockade has prevented us from financing, it has prevented us from getting spare parts, and therefore all maintenance and all repairs have gone off schedule.”
Likewise, he indicated: “We have also had potholes in the distribution of fuel due to availability and that does not allow us to cover the deficits of thermal generation with distributed generation.”
On the other hand, he regretted that in less than three months there have been two accidents that have taken out more than 400 MW of generation, affecting three plants. “One of the plants is not going to recover in the short term, and the other two are working tirelessly.”
Díaz-Canel said that due to the national energy situation, production processes have been stopped and the economy is being affected, “but it is about affecting the population as little as possible,” he said.
However, despite the claims of the Cubans, the situation shows no improvement. On a daily basis, the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE) reports more blackouts, both during the day and at night.
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