Cuba’s president replaces the country’s economy minister

HAVANA >> Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel removed the country’s economy minister on Friday, according to state media, following a delay in recently announced measures to increase the prices of fuel and transportation.

Cuba’s Council of State, which is under the president’s leadership, appointed Central Bank president Joaquín Alonso Vázquez to replace Alejandro Gil, the outgoing economy minister.

The move comes days after the government put on hold an increase in gasoline prices planned for Feb. 1, saying a cyberattack from outside the communist-run island nation had prevented its implementation.

The Cuban government said late last year that it would have to either increase prices for fuel and electricity, or reduce rations for basic supplies.

At the time, Díaz-Canel said that difficult measures were needed for difficult times. The then-economy minister, Gil, said Cuba’s economy had contracted between 1% and 2% in 2023.