Two governors out of office in less than 48 hours: what the Cuban regime did not explain about the replacements

Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel accepted the resignation of Las Tunas governor Yelenys Tornet Menéndez, less than 48 hours after the regime announced the departure of Camagüey governor Jorge Enrique Sutil Sarabia. The succession of changes in two provinces within a short period once again exposed the lack of official explanations regarding the replacement of territorial authorities in Cuba. The decision regarding Tornet Menéndez was announced this Wednesday, November 11, through a statement released by the official newspaper Granma. According to the official version, the official requested to leave her post due to "family and personal limitations" that prevented her from continuing in her duties. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz communicated the acceptance of the resignation during an extraordinary session of the Provincial Council of Las Tunas. The statement indicated that the delegates highlighted the leader's performance since her arrival at the governorship, although it did not provide details about the concrete reasons for her departure. Tornet Menéndez had been elected on December 8, 2024, with 98.58% of the votes of the delegates of the municipal assemblies of the People's Power. She assumed the post on the 28th of that month, meaning she left the position before completing two years at the head of the eastern province. To fill the vacancy, Miguel Díaz-Canel provisionally appointed Juana Yamilka Viñals Suárez, who until now had served as vice governor of Las Tunas. The official will remain at the head of the province until the established procedure for electing a new governor is carried out. Miguel Díaz-Canel reorganizes blocs representing ministerial portfolios in front of the Capitol and the Revolution Square in Havana. (Illustrative image Infobae) Viñals Suárez holds a degree in Physics and Electronics, has a master's degree in Education Sciences, and has been a deputy in the National Assembly of the People's Power since 2021. She had been elected vice governor in December 2024 with 97.48% of the votes cast by municipal delegates. The substitution maintains the mechanism used by the regime to immediately fill vacancies in provincial governorships. The announcement did not establish a date for the definitive election of the new head of Las Tunas nor detail the powers Viñals Suárez will exercise during her interim period. Tornet Menéndez's departure occurs in a province that has undergone several changes in its political and administrative structure since 2024. In October of that year, Díaz-Canel removed then-governor Jaime Ernesto Chiang Vega, who acknowledged errors in his performance. In the same decision, the regime suspended vice governor Ernesto Luis Cruz Reyes for alleged violations related to the exercise of his responsibilities. Months later, in March 2025, Walter Simón Noris left the post of first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in Las Tunas. That decision also did not include a public explanation of the reasons for his removal. During Tornet Menéndez's tenure at the head of Las Tunas, provincial authorities admitted problems in areas sensitive to the population. Among them were the accumulation of waste, difficulties in agricultural production, and delays in payments to farmers. Garbage accumulates on a street corner in Havana, Cuba, on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramón Espinosa) In early 2025, the governor herself referred to more than 300 crimes recorded in a single week in the province. She also acknowledged limitations in garbage collection due to the lack of trucks and workers assigned to that task. The production difficulties were compounded by complaints about debts and delays in payments to agricultural producers, in a context of food shortages and deteriorating public services affecting different regions of Cuba. The official statement did not link those problems to Tornet Menéndez's departure. The released version was limited to the reference to family and personal reasons, a formula commonly used in announcements of resignations or dismissals of regime officials. The change in Las Tunas was announced shortly after the resignation of Jorge Enrique Sutil Sarabia as governor of Camagüey. In that case, the regime reported that the official acknowledged errors incompatible with the responsibility of his post. File photo After his departure, vice governor Yennis León Mayedo temporarily assumed the leadership of Camagüey. The procedure was similar to the one now applied in Las Tunas: an interim replacement while the institutional process to designate a new governor is activated. The two consecutive departures left the top administrative authorities of two provinces in eastern and central Cuba vacant.