In his end-of-year message, the Cuban dictator exalted supposed achievements of 2025 and announced the continuity of the “Fidelista spirit” for 2026, in a country marked by hunger, blackouts, repression and an unprecedented social crisis.
MADRID, Spain.- The Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel used the social network
In two consecutive tweets, Díaz-Canel wrote: “Let’s celebrate the lives saved and the impossible conquered in 2025. Let’s welcome 2026 aware that by working and united, WE WILL GROW.”
The message contrasts with the reality that the country has experienced during the past year. In 2025, large sectors of the population have faced severe food shortages, minimal and unbalanced diets, as well as documented cases of malnutrition, especially among children, the elderly, and the chronically ill. Inflation and salaries without purchasing power have pushed thousands of families into a situation of extreme subsistence.
In a second tweet, in words that outrage the Cuban people, the president stated that the “New Year in Cuba is synonymous with triumph.” And he added, «let us renew the tradition this 2026, Fidel’s Centennial Year. Because a noble people, who resist and believe, deserve it. We will win! A hug”.
The call to celebrate “triumphs” comes after a year marked by the collapse of basic services, with prolonged blackouts throughout the country and a worsening housing crisis. During 2025, building collapses occurred, especially in urban areas such as Havana, which caused the death of several people and left many others without housing, in a context of sustained structural deterioration and lack of state solutions.
The publication was accompanied by an institutional video in which Díaz-Canel insisted on the ideological discourse of the regime and linked the immediate future of the country with the so-called “Fidelista spirit.” In the audiovisual, the president declared: “Every task we undertake in 2026, from the most complex economic transformations to the simplest gesture of solidarity, is impregnated with the Fidelista spirit of struggle, its deep love for the people and its unwavering commitment to social justice.”
These statements come while the public health system is going through one of its worst crises, with critical shortages of medicines, supplies and basic treatments. Throughout the year there have been reports deaths from treatable diseases, given the impossibility of accessing essential drugs even in hospitals.
In the same video, Díaz-Canel added: “This is the people of Fidel and Raúl, winners of impossible things. May 2026, the year of the centenary of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, find us fighting and more united than ever.
The message omits the situation of more than a thousand people imprisoned for political reasons, according to independent human rights organizations, as well as complaints about deaths of people deprived of liberty, related to medical negligence and inhumane conditions of confinement. Also during 2025, deaths of young people in Active Military Service were reported, in cases that generated public questions due to the lack of official information and transparency.
The video concludes with historical slogans of the regime: “Long live Cuba Libre!”, “Long live the revolution!”, “Long live Fidel and Raúl!”, “Socialism or death!” Homeland or death, we will win!
While the official discourse insists on the revolutionary epic and the ideological celebration of power, the reality of Cuba in 2025 has been marked by hunger, precariousness, repression and a sustained migratory exodus, which continues to empty the country and separate thousands of families. Díaz-Canel’s year-end publication once again highlights the gap between the regime’s mocking story and the daily life of the Cuban population.
