Spotlight: Cuba's Communist Party Congress to chart course for future social, economic development

Five years after approving ground-breaking economic reforms, Cuba's Communist Party now faces the challenge of accelerating the pace of these measures.

The Seventh Congress of Cuba's Communist Party (PCC) will begin on Saturday with the participation of 1,000 delegates from all over the country, who will discuss the status of the 313 economic guidelines approved at the last congress in 2011.

According to the party's Central Committee, only 21 percent of those guidelines have been carried out so far, while 77 percent are still in the process of implementation and two percent have not been executed.

The event, which will last until April 19, will set Cuba's economic and political path for the next five years. It will also be the first congress since Havana and Washington reestablished diplomatic relations in 2015.

Cubans seem to largely believe this congress can ensure the necessary economic transformations they feel the island needs.

"The Cuban economy requires deeper reforms. There are many new opportunities emerging with the rapprochement to the U.S. I hope our nation's leaders understand the need for change in certain areas," Yadira Miniet, a 27-year-old telecommunications employee, told Xinhua.

The congress will be divided into four working groups, three of which will discuss economic reforms while a fourth is set to debate the "conceptualization" of Cuba's socialist model in the future.

According to experts, the most ground-breaking reform implemented in the last five years has been the gradual opening-up of an emerging private sector, which already constitutes 27 percent of the country's workforce.

Hundreds of private restaurants and cafeterias, lodgings for tourists and taxis have emerged in the past few years, giving people more options for services.

However, many challenges still remain to be tackled after five years of reform.

A dual monetary system still exists, despite the government's promise to end it soon, and the economy remains highly dependent on revenues from tourism and services.

In order to attract more investment, Cuba approved a new foreign investment law in 2014. The government also strongly encourages international companies to participate in the Mariel Special Economic Zone, some 45 kilometers west of Havana, a business center and port that offers favorable conditions to entrepreneurs.

Nearly half of the congress participants are women while the average age of the delegates is 48 years old, which many see as a sign that a new generation will soon replace the revolutionary founding figures.

"I believe this is the last congress for the revolution's founding leaders. New ideas and fresh faces must emerge to update our socialist system," said Alejandro Suarez, a young leader of the Communist Youth organization.

It is also a moment for younger generations to take on greater participation in the country's economic and political decisions while still counting on the experience of the nation's elder statesmen.

"The congress must also debate the increasing demands of young people. Many reforms and changes are happening in our society and we hope they (delegates) meet our expectations for a better future," Jennifer Lopez, a 31-year-old doctor, said to Xinhua.

Deep discussions will undoubtedly take place in the next few days in the capital that may well decide how this island-nation will uphold its socialist ideals while updating its social and economic model. Endi