The new president of the Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC) will be Manuel Cuesta Morúa.
MIAMI, United States. – Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer announced that he will not be a member of the new executive of the Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC), one of the main platforms for articulating the opposition. In addition, he confirmed that he requested internal elections and resigned “from all his positions,” although he will continue as a member of the group.
In statements to the EFE agencyFerrer justified his decision with the argument that his activism from exile — which he described as “non-violent in a broad sense” — should not interfere with the work profile of the CTDC, focused “mainly on legal proposals,” according to the same office.
Despite the replacement, Ferrer denied a break with the platform and maintained: “We remain brothers and I support the actions of the Council.”
The announcement coincides with the disclosure of the results of the CTDC’s internal vote for the period 2026-2028. According to a statement from the Electoral Commission of the Council itself, the new president will be Manuel Cuesta Morúaand the executive will include vice presidencies within Cuba and abroad. Osvaldo Navarro Veloz, Juan Alberto de la Nuez Ramírez, Marthadela Tamayo González and Félix Navarro Rodríguez (currently in prison) appear on the island, while Elena Larrinaga de Luis and Iris Ruiz Hernández appear outside the country.
The CTDC text specifies that the voting, initially scheduled for December 10, was finally held between December 11 and 15, with closing at midnight, and that 29 voters from a list of 46 people with the right to vote participated, which is equivalent to 63%. The Electoral Commission described the process as “organized, plural and democratic” and stated that it took place in a context of “complex communication conditions” that do not favor free citizen expression.
According to the statement, the elected executive will formally take office on January 10, the date on which the Electoral Commission plans to present a detailed report on the process.
In parallel, Ferrer told EFE that his current agenda prioritizes actions aimed at “mobilizing” “political, social and humanitarian activity” within Cuba, as well as the preparation of a “census” of dissidents inside and outside the Island, with the idea of trying to organize opposition primaries and build a “common front.”
Ferrer, 54, left Cuba in October and temporarily settled in Miami, United States, after years of imprisonment. The opposition leader arrived in Florida on October 13 after a “formal request” from Washington.
The CTDC has promoted initiatives focused on legal reforms and the release of politically motivated prisoners. Among them is a proposal for the “Amnesty and Decriminalization of Dissent Law.” Likewise, it has encouraged other civic articulation efforts, in addition to efforts linked to international mediation.
