In his closing address at the seventh ordinary session of the National Assembly of People’s Power, the leader clarified that the country’s economic and social transformations do not aim to establish deregulated capitalism or a massive privatization of national assets, as some fear.

  There will be—and this must be made absolutely clear—no privatization of healthcare, education, science, culture, or services strategic to the nation, the head of state reiterated.

  He further emphasized the political will to revitalize all these services, generate revenue and wealth, and raise their quality, while keeping them free and universal.

   Diaz-Canel stated that gradual economic recovery must go hand in hand with social recovery, prioritizing the most vulnerable and the most urgent needs.   Likewise, he highlighted the importance of decentralizing economic powers—granting them to provinces but especially to municipalities—while underscoring the vanguard role of the Communist Party of Cuba.

  For this reason, he urged the political organization to update and innovate regarding the roles of the Party and its members within socialist state enterprises, private businesses, and the community, while also encouraging and fostering spaces for theoretical and practical debate.

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