The 10th Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba begins in Havana

All Photos via Revolution Studios

By Alina Perera Robbio, translated from the Spanish

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba commenced its 10th Plenary Session this Friday, focusing on key issues affecting modern Cuban society. The session was led by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the First Secretary of the vanguard political organization and President of the Republic.

From the Plenary Hall of the Palace of the Revolution, the session of the Party's top leadership body commenced its proceedings, which will last until this Saturday, by examining cadre movements within the Central Committee and assessing the implementation of agreements from earlier meetings. Prior to this, Roberto Morales Ojeda, a member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Communist Party Central Committee, delivered the opening remarks.

"Cuba is going through one of the most complex stages in its history. We are living in very challenging times, with a prolonged and intensified blockade policy, economic difficulties, and external pressures that attempt to subdue the spirit of a people who have demonstrated, time and again, their capacity for resilience and dignity," said the party leader, who stated that "the circumstances are difficult."

To support the previous statement, the Political Bureau member noted that "scarcity, limitations, and efforts to dishearten us are pressing on doors and minds." Amid these challenges, he remarked, "each day presents a challenge, yet also an opportunity to reaffirm our conviction that socialism is the way forward; and unity, our strength."

Morales Ojeda stated that "this 10th Plenary Session of our Communist Party is of vital importance, because the Party is the force and compass that guides us toward collective well-being, and it is its responsibility to ensure that the needs of the people are met."

"Let's analyze the problems in depth; let's define the actions that will bring them closer to resolution; and let's mobilize the nation to achieve results," highlighted the Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, who also told those in attendance:

"As we approach the 72nd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks; and just hours before the 70th anniversary of Fidel's departure for Mexico to embark on the final epic quest for the independence and freedom of the homeland, we begin the 10th Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba."

The important party meeting that began this Friday morning included the participation of the Commander of the Revolution, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, and the Commander of the Rebel Army, José Ramón Machado Ventura. Also attending in the Plenary Hall as guests were Army Corps General and Vice Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), Joaquín Quinta Solá; Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz; along with the first secretaries of the Provincial Committees of the Communist Party from Mayabeque, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Granma, Guantánamo, and the Special Municipality of the Isle of Youth; as well as other comrades from the Auxiliary Structure of the Central Committee of the Party and the Government.

Concerning the movements within the Communist Party Central Committee, new proposals for co-opting members into the political organization's top leadership were introduced. These included Major General Raúl Villar Kessel, Chief of the Central Army; Brigadier General Oscar A. Callejas Varcalce, head of the Political Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior; and Magda Resik Aguirre, First Vice President of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). All three were unanimously approved by the 10th Plenary Session.

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