Laritza Camacho Criticizes Cuba's Economic Reform Package: "Tailor-Made for Subjugation"

Cuban broadcaster and activist Laritza Camacho took to Facebook on Friday to express her thoughts on a sweeping package of 176 economic measures recently discussed by the Cuban regime in the National Assembly. Using a tailoring metaphor, she described the reforms as a carefully crafted plan imposed from the top to control the people: "They're tailoring a suit just for us."

Her remarks came shortly after the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) concluded its ordinary session on July 29 and 30 at Havana's Convention Palace. During this session, key laws were passed, marking the most significant economic reforms in Cuba since the Special Period of the 1990s.

Camacho highlighted the irony of the moment: "There are 176 measures, and the power outages are so frequent that you can't even read three of them. So, nobody knows anything."

The mention of "power outages" refers to the severe electricity crisis affecting the island. On July 29, the Electrical Union reported a record deficit of 2,380 MW, the highest of the year, affecting about 74% of the country during peak hours. In some areas of Matanzas, residents endured up to 87 consecutive hours without electricity that month, while Havana faced an average of 15 hours daily without service.

Against this backdrop, the activist criticized the parliament for operating in a communication void exacerbated by the regime's own crisis: "The ANC meets and goes on and on, fully aware that the public isn't watching or listening because there's simply no power to watch TV, barely enough to use a mobile, and no coverage or connection."

To Camacho, each of the 176 measures signals danger rather than hope: "Each measure is a noise, something that sounds dull and dangerous, like the moments before a river swells... and when the river makes noise, it's because it carries stones."

The 176 measures, presented on June 18, 2026, in a special ANPP session, include opening up private banking, private exchange houses, removing the limit of 100 workers for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), allowing individuals to own multiple businesses, and increasing private sector access to imports, exports, and the fuel market. Even government officials acknowledged that the package entails "more elements of private property, private production, capitalism, and market."

By the end of the July parliamentary session, 110 out of the 121 measures planned for June and July had been approved, according to official reports. The administrative reform approved in the same session reduced central state agencies from 27 to 21 and eliminated 92,000 public administration positions.

Camacho has been consistently questioning these reforms. On July 25, she remarked that the measures were taken to ensure that the regime and its allies remain ensconced in power and luxury. On July 20, she pointed out the contradiction of having a Food Sovereignty Law without any food on the shelves. Since the initial announcement of the package in June, she has asked, "Who guarantees that those who have done everything wrong can now do everything right?"

This Friday's post sparked a wave of responses among Cubans, who shared their skepticism with dark humor. One commenter wrote that the "suit" would be "a wooden one," another described it as "a straitjacket model suit," while a third summed up the collective sentiment: "This tailor-made suit they're making for us is for our final journey, and may God have mercy on us."

In July, Cuba experienced three total collapses of its National Electric System: on the 6th, 10th, and 14th, along with additional incidents at the month's end, all while the parliament debated reforms that, according to Camacho, nobody could follow due to power shortages.