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Cuban labor minister resigns after her suggestion beggars were pretending sparked backlash
CUBA, JUL 16 – Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera resigned after denying beggars exist in Cuba amid a severe economic crisis affecting nearly 40% of retirees with minimal pensions, officials said.
- Cuban Minister of Labor Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera resigned on July 16, 2025, following backlash over her remarks on beggars during a National Assembly committee meeting.
- Her claim that individuals appearing as beggars in Cuba were actually pretending to be such triggered widespread backlash amid the country’s deepening economic difficulties and growing social hardships.
- Feitó claimed those scavenging for food or cleaning windshields live an easy life, while President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned her lack of sensitivity and urged the revolution not to leave anyone behind.
- Cuba's GDP shrank 1.1% in 2024, adding to a 11% decline over five years, with many families living in vulnerable conditions and retirees depending on pensions worth less than $5 monthly.
- Feitó's resignation highlights tensions in Cuba's leadership as economic hardship deepens and public criticism grows over the government's handling of social inequalities.
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171 Articles
“In Cuba there are no beggars”: the controversial statements that caused the “renunciation” of a Cuban minister (and why the case is unusual) Writing: BBC News Mundo The attempt by the Cuban Minister of Labor, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, to deny poverty on the communist island - and in particular one of its symptoms: begging- cost her her her place. Less than 48 hours after assuring the Parliament that “there are no beggars in Cuba”, the official…
Cuban Minister of Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feitó-Cabrer was forced to resign after saying that there were “no beggars” living on the island, only people who pretended to be poor in order to “make an easy living.” The statement sparked an unprecedented wave of resentment among Cubans struggling with the effects of a protracted economic crisis, and the minister was forced to resign within 48 hours.
The Minister of Labor of Cuba, Marta Elena Feitó, resigned this Tuesday in charge, a day after declaring...
Cuba's Minister of Labour resigned on Tuesday after stating that there were no beggars on the island, only people "disguised as beggars", at a time when the country was going through a deep economic crisis.
Following a speech contradicting official statistics on poverty, Marta Elena Feito Cabrera left the Cuban government on Tuesday 15 July. Her remarks provoked a media storm and widespread indignation of the population, at a time when the island was going through a deep economic crisis.
Cuban Labor Minister Resigns After Denying Homelessness in the Country
Cuba’s top labor official, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, resigned after claiming there were no beggars on the island, sparking anger across the country. She made her statement in front of the National Assembly, insisting that those seen living on the street only pretended to be destitute. This denial did not match what many Cubans see […]
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