Cuba’s powerful ex-president, Raul Castro, has thrown his weight behind liberal reforms aimed at reviving the collapsing economy in the face of a crippling US blockade.
The Cuban government has announced a series of fast-track reforms to open more sectors to private investment, attract more capital from Cubans living abroad and shrink the state.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel has presented the measures — some of which are set to be approved by the National Assembly on Thursday, just a week after being unveiled — as the most substantial in years.
The Communist Party’s politburo held an extraordinary plenary on Wednesday to discuss the proposals.
Castro, widely seen as the power behind the throne, backed the proposals in a letter shown to the plenary as being “the most beneficial to the revolution at this time.”
The nonagenarian Castro, who was recently indicted by the United States over the downing of two civilian planes three decades ago, led the country for 15 years after succeeding his brother Fidel in 2006.
It is unclear whether the reforms would satisfy US President Donald Trump, who is pushing for a change in Cuba’s economic model, if not its leaders.
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