Chilean Leftist Candidate Defends Cuba’s Poverty and Lack of Freedom by Blaming Hurricanes and U.S. Embargo

Just a day before Chile's general elections, Jeannette Jara, a leftist presidential candidate representing the Communist Party (PC) and former Labor Minister under Gabriel Boric's administration, has sparked controversy. She attributed Cuba's poverty and lack of freedoms to "hurricanes" and the U.S. embargo.

During her appearance on the TVN program “Candidata, llegó tu hora,” Jara was directly questioned by journalist Matías del Río about whether she considered Cuba a dictatorship. Her response, marked by hesitation and evasiveness, ignited a political and media debate just hours before the elections.

“Look, Matías, the issue is that Cuba has numerous problems. They face a fierce blockade, people are suffering, there's a significant food crisis... and besides, many hurricanes have severely impacted the electrical system. Because they're blocked, there are no companies to restore the supply,” Jara stated.

Sidestepping the question of whether Cuba is a dictatorship, the leftist candidate expressed her hope that “Cuba resolves its democratic issues” and acknowledged that it is “evident” there is no “multiparty system or many media outlets like here.”

Political Storm Before Voting

Jara's statements come just weeks after she first acknowledged in another TV interview that “Cuba is clearly not a democracy,” a shift that surprised even her own party. Socialist Senator Juan Luis Castro described her change of tone as a “de-communization,” noting that “in Chile, we all understand that Cuba is not a democracy.”

However, her recent comments seem to revert to the traditional narrative of the Chilean Communist Party, which has historically maintained ties with Havana and avoided labeling the Castro and Miguel Díaz-Canel regimes as dictatorships.

Divergence with Boric and Progressive Left

Although Jara served as a minister under Boric, they are not from the same political party. Boric leads the 'Frente Amplio,' a progressive and social-democratic coalition, while Jara is from the communist wing of the 'Apruebo Dignidad' coalition.

Their positions on Latin American dictatorships highlight a significant contrast: Boric has openly labeled the regimes in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua as human rights violators, asserting that “one cannot be left-wing and remain silent in the face of repression.”

Jara, on the other hand, has refrained from calling these governments “dictatorships,” citing self-determination and external factors like sanctions and climate. This contrast has reignited the debate over the moral consistency of the Chilean left and its relationship with authoritarian regimes in the continent.

Ideological Underpinnings of the Elections

Chile will head to the polls on Sunday, November 16, to elect a president, deputies, and part of the Senate. Jara is competing in a highly polarized environment, with right-wing candidate José Antonio Kast slightly leading the polls and analysts predicting a potential runoff in December.

The communist candidate's shift in rhetoric—now softened by her comments on “hurricanes”—is seen as an attempt to not alienate moderate voters, though at the expense of her credibility. While radical left sectors accuse her of “yielding to bourgeois discourse,” others criticize her ambiguity and lack of self-criticism regarding regimes that persecute and imprison dissenters.

Cuba Reflects Leftist Contradictions

The Jara case illustrates how the Cuban issue remains a contentious topic within the Latin American left. While some sectors still justify the regime by citing the “embargo,” others acknowledge that the island lacks press freedom, a multiparty system, and genuine elections.

With less than 24 hours until the vote, the communist candidate's words have put Cuba—and its model of political control—at the forefront of a campaign where the defense of democracy has become the dividing line for the Chilean left.