Cuban chess grandmaster Lázaro Bruzón has accused the political system established in 1959 of causing the country's decline. In a recent Facebook post, he described the path taken since the revolutionary triumph as a 'huge problem' driven by 'power-hungry fanatics.' Bruzón questioned the viability of socialism in the modern era amid Cuba's ongoing economic crisis.
Lázaro Bruzón, a prominent Cuban chess grandmaster living outside the country since 2018, reiterated his criticism of the Cuban political system in a Facebook post on February 23, 2026. He attributed the nation's decline to the system implemented after the 1959 revolutionary triumph, calling it a 'huge problem' and arguing that it was propelled by 'a group of power-hungry fanatics.' Bruzón highlighted how the collapse of the socialist bloc in Europe and widespread access to information have revealed the model's economic and political shortcomings.
Drawing on international examples, Bruzón stated that successful economies rely on private property, free markets, the rule of law, and political alternation. He contrasted this with Cuba's constitution, which he said enshrines socialism as irrevocable and restricts meaningful political change. 'As long as there is no change, we are doomed as a country,' he wrote, also questioning the applicability of 19th-century ideologies in an age of technological advancements like artificial intelligence.
In earlier posts, Bruzón has linked communist regimes to 'tens of millions of deaths' and equated communism with fascism and Nazism as totalitarian ideologies deserving equal condemnation. He has also lamented the silence of Cuban figures in sports and arts on the island's issues, calling it 'shameful' that many renowned athletes have not spoken out, especially following singer Camila Cabello's comments on the crisis. Bruzón emphasized that public messages of support can amplify awareness of injustices.
His departure from Cuba stemmed from gradual disillusionment and political questioning rather than immediate persecution or poverty, and he has vowed to return only when the country becomes 'free and democratic.' These remarks coincide with Cuba's intensified economic and social challenges, including food and medicine shortages, prolonged blackouts, and rising public discontent, as various voices from exile and within the country call for structural reforms.
'What they call "Revolution" is, in practice, a manual of everything that should not be done,' Bruzón declared.
