Bruno Rodríguez Defends Cuba's One-Party System at UN Assembly

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla firmly rejected any notion of political reform on the island, staunchly defending Cuba's one-party system during an exclusive interview with NBC News, conducted in the context of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

When directly questioned by correspondent Andrea Mitchell about whether Cuba would consider shifting towards a multiparty system with free elections, Rodríguez summarized Havana's official stance with a pointed remark: "We feel very comfortable with the constitutional order, which, unlike in the United States, has been chosen and affirmed by Cuban citizens through multiple referendums with universal participation."

The interview took place a day after President Trump branded Cuba a "completely failed state" at the General Assembly and vowed that "freedom will indeed come to Cuba." In response, the Cuban delegation left the room as a form of protest during Trump's address.

Cuba vs. U.S.: Contrasting Political Systems

Rodríguez crafted his defense of Cuba's political model by contrasting it with what he implied was a plutocratic system in the United States.

"The Cuban Parliament doesn't have billionaires, but it does have a majority of women, representatives from all sectors of society, and even students directly and freely chosen by voters without the mediation of political parties," he asserted.

The foreign minister emphasized that in Cuba, "there are no electoral political parties, but rather direct popular participation," and that "money and corporations do not control the Cuban electoral process."

The Reality of Cuba's Constitutional Framework

What Rodríguez failed to mention is that the 2019 Cuban Constitution enshrines the Communist Party of Cuba as the "superior leading political force of society and the State" and declares socialism "irrevocable." In practice, there is no legal political opposition, candidates are vetted by party-linked commissions, and pluralistic election campaigns are not permitted.

To deflect criticism of the one-party model, Rodríguez resorted to the argument of democratic relativism: "There should not be a single model of thought or a single democratic electoral model in the world," he claimed, pointing out that Washington maintains "excellent relationships" with countries with different political systems. "Why apply a different standard to Cuba?" he asked.

Previous Defenses and Diplomatic Tensions

This is not the first time Rodríguez has used such reasoning. In May, he described Cuba as a "different democracy" in an interview with ABC News, where he also denied the existence of political prisoners on the island.

During the same interview, Rodríguez responded to statements by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said there are regime figures with whom the U.S. "can never work because they have blood on their hands," with a curt "he lies, he lies again."

Rodríguez also confirmed that diplomatic contacts between the two governments have occurred, although without tangible results, attributing the stalemate to the "misunderstanding and restrictive attitude of the U.S. side." When asked if Raúl Castro's grandson is involved in those conversations, he declined to answer directly.

Rubio, on the other hand, remarked that Cuba has a "golden opportunity" to change its course, while cautioning: "You don't reverse 60-plus years of mismanagement, corruption, and incompetence in six months."