In March 2009, President Raúl Castro of Cuba dismissed numerous government ministers.

Officials

Government response

In March 2009, a government reshuffle was announced in Cuba, resulting in the replacement of eight ministers. The ruling Council of State and President Raul Castro explained that this move was intended to streamline and improve the efficiency of the Cuban government, Among those dismissed were prominent young leaders, including Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Cabinet chief Carlos Lage.

Theories

Economic reforms

In an article "Purge Aims to Halt Cuba's Economic Free Fall", written by Frances Robles and Wilfredo Cancio and published in the Miami Herald in March 2009, the authors suggested that the purge was to get rid of the people who may have stood in the way of economic reforms.

Hugo Chávez

Former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Castañeda Gutman, in his Newsweek article published in the March 23, 2009 issue, suggested that Hugo Chávez was plotting a coup in Cuba due to concerns that Raul Castro would make concessions that would betray the 50-year-old Cuban Revolution. However, "long-time Cuba watchers expressed skepticism" about this claim. According to his thesis, Hugo Chávez asked Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic to support the plot, but he declined. Castañeda's statements have been met with scepticism from politicians and scholars. He has admitted that he has no proof, calling his thesis "informed speculation".