A worker shows a wad of Cuban pesos in Havana, Cuba, Dec. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File)
The Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) has postponed its ninth congress, scheduled for April, because of the economic crisis gripping the nation, state media announced Sunday.
Congresses in the one-party, communist-run Caribbean island nation take place once every five years, except under exceptional circumstances.
The decision to delay the event to an unspecified later date was made Saturday after former president Raul Castro, through a letter, proposed a postponement.
The 94-year-old Castro retired as president and the party's first secretary in April 2021 but still wields political influence.
Castro's proposal was made public by President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cubadebate reported on its website.
In his letter, Castro stressed that party congresses should be held within the scheduled time frames, but he advised that the ninth congress be postponed in order to "devote 2026 to recovering in every way possible."
The central committee approved the decision unanimously, according to Cubadebate.
Cuba, with a population of 9.7 million, has been mired in a severe economic crisis for five years due to the combined effects of tightened US sanctions, the low productivity of its centrally planned economy, the collapse of tourism, and the failure of monetary reforms.
