US-based opposition recruits lawyers to build legal basis for 'free Cuba' this year

Cuban opposition figures are proactively preparing for a potential political transition, launching a campaign to recruit legal specialists to draft the foundational laws for a "free Cuba."

The initiative, spearheaded by the Liberation Agreement and the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA), anticipates a political shift occurring within 2026. They are seeking to establish the legal groundwork for a democratic Cuba before any regime change takes place. "There is a very difficult question, and that is: what happens the day after? Today we are answering that question. We are building the legal foundations of a democratic Cuba even before the regime changes," stated Rosa María Payá, coordinator of the Liberation Agreement.

Exiled Cubans in Florida are working on drafting transition norms and establishing the basis for the rule of law, ensuring readiness from the first day of what they term the "collapse of the dictatorship" of Miguel Díaz-Canel and the Castros. Payá, also a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), emphasized the need to be prepared to govern and lead the transition when power fractures in Cuba. This effort moves beyond a unified political roadmap to building the institutional capacity required for execution.

The campaign seeks to leverage the success of the Cuban diaspora, particularly in the United States, where over 1.6 million people of Cuban origin reside in Florida alone. The project involves three key initiatives: adapting CABA's 15-year-old Transition Law proposal, constructing a legal infrastructure for the island, and providing legal counsel for coalition members who might assume power. "This is a year of hope, but it is not enough to wait and trust that things will improve on their own. We must work to build the democratic and prosperous Cuba we all wish to see. An absolutely fundamental element for this Cuba is a solid legal foundation," said Jordi Martínez-Cid, president of CABA.

Lawyers, judges, and law students from the Cuban diaspora in the U.S. and other countries are being recruited for this effort. The campaign coincides with increased pressure on Havana from the Trump administration, which recently sanctioned the state-owned oil company Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET).