Cuba Cancels 'Labor Day Parade' Amid Energy Crisis

Cuba, experiencing an energy crisis, has canceled its annual May 1 Labor Day parade.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 30th (local time), Cuban authorities canceled the Labor Day march that was scheduled to be held at the Revolution Square in Havana. Although it is an annual event where hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets wearing red and waving flags to commemorate the significance of the 1959 Cuban Revolution, this year's event was canceled due to severe energy shortages.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Other large-scale marches held in Havana, as well as smaller Labor Day events held regionally, are also uncertain. These events, which were halted due to COVID-19 and resumed last year after three years, will not be held again.

Currently, Cuba's daily life is being disrupted by severe energy shortages over the past few weeks. Frequent blackouts and power outages have led to reduced public transportation services. Many shops and cultural facilities have closed, and schools have switched to online classes.

The NYT analyzed that the economic difficulties worsened by U.S. economic sanctions, combined with COVID-19 lockdowns, have caused a downturn in tourism, which is a main pillar of the Cuban economy.

This situation is expected to continue for some time. President Miguel D?az-Canel expressed the difficult situation in early April, stating, "Daily fuel consumption in Cuba is about 500 to 600 tons, but current reserves are less than 400 tons," and added, "There is no clear way for us to overcome this."

In response to criticism holding the government responsible for the energy crisis, he explained that countries like Venezuela have been unable to fulfill energy supply contracts due to complex circumstances.

Meanwhile, since early last year, more than 330,000 people have crossed the border from Cuba heading to the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.