Cuba postpones may day parade over 'oil' shortage

Due to severe fuel shortages, Cuba’s communist government decided to cancel the annual May Day parade scheduled for Monday.

Every year on International Workers’ Day, tens of thousands of people are bused into Havana’s Revolution Square from all over the island.

The celebrations haven’t been postponed due to financial constraints since the 1959 revolution.

Long lines have built up at gas stations in recent weeks, with cars frequently waiting days.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel claimed earlier this month that Cuba only received two-thirds of the fuel it needed and that suppliers were breaking their agreements.

Although the US-sanctioned island of Cuba has access to low-grade crude, it lacks the infrastructure to process it.

The major supplier of petroleum to Cuba, Venezuela, has seen a 50% decrease in deliveries of higher-quality oil in recent years.

Analysts claim that because of its own serious issues, Venezuela is having a hard time supporting its socialist ally.

The shortages have increased the daily stress that Cubans experience. A normal monthly wage in Spain, according to the El Pais daily, is between $150 and $200 (£120 and 160), whereas a litre of cooking oil costs $30.

The administration maintains that its socialist, state-run model is the most beneficial for the nation and attributes the issues to ongoing US sanctions.

To assure the success of the May Day celebration, Cuban authorities have historically deployed significant resources, sending workers in large numbers to Havana.

Prior to this year, the Covid pandemic only ever forced the cancellation of the event in 2020 and 2021.

Instead, local events are anticipated to proceed with a foot march.

Such actions, according to Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, the leader of the country’s largest labour union, the
Workers’ Cuba, will highlight “the obstacles to the development programmes due to the ironclad economic blockade,” he stated on Tuesday.

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