Havana, Cuba: The traditional May Day parade has been cancelled due to critical fuel shortages across the Caribbean island, Pearl of the Antilles.
The primary reason behind the shortages in Cuba is unclear, but authorities have mentioned difficulties with inputs due to a lack of a crude oil additive in Venezuela, which Cuba uses to refine its heavy crude.
In Cuba, May Day (the 1st of May) is celebrated massively by organizing parades and events. Numerous Workers march alongside their colleagues to Revolution Square, participating in unique cultural and musical events and listening to speeches from prominent figures.
The fuel crisis has caused great disappointment for Cuban residents, as it is the first time since the 1959 revolution that the May Day celebrations have been cancelled due to economic reasons.
This parade was also cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because, during that time, the COVID pandemic was at its peak, and it was necessary to suspend the celebration due to COVID measures.
Over the past few weeks, long lines at gas stations were observed throughout the country as residents were preparing for the parade despite encountering various fuel-related issues.
From the past months, Cuba has been facing a fuel shortage as suppliers are not fulfilling their contractual commitments, resulting in only two-thirds of the required fuel being received. Despite having access to low-grade crude, Cuba lacks the necessary facilities to process it due to US sanctions.
Due to the crisis, Venezuela, the leading supplier of high-quality crude oil to Cuba, has reduced its deliveries by 50% in previous years due to their own ongoing problems, making it harder to provide subsidies to its ally.
Additionally, Havana’s Revolution Square has been filled with hundreds of thousands of people from different parts of the island on International Workers’ Day for several years.
