This week, a Cuban lawmaker delivered one of the most eye-opening speeches of the Seventh Ordinary Period of Sessions of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP), held on July 29 and 30 at the Havana Convention Center.
Instead of focusing on the agenda items, Orlando Gutiérrez Boza used his speaking time to persuade fellow members that adopting capitalist-like measures is, in fact, a revolutionary move.
The parliamentary session was convened to follow up on the package of 176 economic and social transformations approved on June 18, 2026. This is the most extensive set of reforms in Cuba's model in decades, including the introduction of private banking, private exchange houses, openness to foreign franchises, and the conversion of state enterprises into joint-stock companies.
"One must be objective and do what needs to be done at this moment, which is to be revolutionary. All these measures, despite seeming otherwise, are necessary actions for revolutionaries," Gutiérrez Boza stated on Canal Caribe.
His statement highlights the regime's inherent contradiction: although it has long opposed capitalism as an ideological enemy, its lawmakers now have to justify why introducing such measures is an act of revolutionary fidelity.
Even Miguel Díaz-Canel, the so-called continuity of the revolution and first secretary of the Communist Party, acknowledged in June that the reforms will incorporate "more elements of private property, private production, capitalism, and the market," while still denying any "capitalist restoration."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz assured the Assembly on Thursday that Cuba "remains committed to the socialist model."
Gutiérrez Boza, who holds a degree in Medical Sciences, previously served as deputy director of the Neuroscience Center and is a delegate of the People's Power, did not present any concrete legislative proposals.
The session also included moments of unsubstantial propaganda. On Tuesday, troubadour and lawmaker Nelson Valdés Viera referred to Díaz-Canel as "our leader" and "a father," also acknowledging Raúl Castro, who allegedly joined via videoconference.
This pattern is not new. The ANPP has been passing laws and agreements unanimously for decades, without any opposing votes or genuine debate, as Díaz-Canel himself admitted in July 2024, boasting of being a "unique dictatorship that the enemies of the revolution will never understand."
What is unprecedented, however, is the scale of the contradiction the regime is trying to navigate: a system that claims to be socialist implementing reforms its own leaders describe as capitalist, and needing to convince its lawmakers—and through them, the public—that this is not only acceptable but revolutionary.
By the end of the session, 110 of the 121 measures scheduled for June and July had been approved, marking a 90.9% completion rate, with the Assembly ratifying them without a single dissenting vote.
Understanding Cuba's Economic Reforms
What economic measures has Cuba recently approved?
Cuba has approved 176 economic and social transformations, including private banking, private exchange houses, opening to foreign franchises, and converting state enterprises into joint-stock companies.
How does the Cuban government justify capitalist reforms?
The Cuban government justifies these reforms as revolutionary acts necessary for the current moment, despite the apparent contradiction with their socialist ideology.
Has there been any opposition to these reforms in the Cuban Assembly?
No, the measures were ratified without a single opposing vote, following a historical pattern of unanimous support within the Assembly.