SANCTIONED BY OFAC EO 13818 (Global Magnitsky)

Miguel Díaz-Canel

President of Cuba and First Secretary of the Communist Party — in office since 2018-04-19

Spanish title: Presidente de la República de Cuba; Primer Secretario del PCC Born: 1960-04-20, Placetas, Villa Clara, Cuba Nationality: Cuban Last verified:

Miguel Díaz-Canel is the President of Cuba (since 2018) and First Secretary of the Communist Party (since 2021), the first non-Castro to hold either office.

Quick facts

  • Role: President of Cuba and First Secretary of the Communist Party
  • Spanish title: Presidente de la República de Cuba; Primer Secretario del PCC
  • In office since: 2018-04-19
  • Born: 1960-04-20 — Placetas, Villa Clara, Cuba
  • Nationality: Cuban
  • Affiliations: Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) — First Secretary; Council of State — President; Politburo of the PCC
  • Sanctioned by OFAC: Yes — EO 13818 (Global Magnitsky)

Biography

Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez has served as President of the Republic of Cuba since 19 April 2018, succeeding Raúl Castro after a decade of grooming through provincial Party posts and the Council of Ministers. He was elected First Secretary of the Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC) at the 8th Party Congress in April 2021, formally consolidating the two most powerful offices in Cuba in a single individual for the first time since Raúl Castro stepped down.

Trained as an electronics engineer, Díaz-Canel rose through PCC structures in Villa Clara and Holguín provinces before joining the Politburo in 2003. As President he has presided over the 2019 constitutional reform, the January 2021 Tarea Ordenamiento monetary unification, the July 2021 protests, and a sustained economic crisis defined by chronic blackouts (the apagones), inflation, food shortages and emigration.

For investors and compliance teams, Díaz-Canel sits at the apex of every counterparty chain into the Cuban state. He was designated by the U.S. Treasury under Executive Order 13818 (Global Magnitsky) in July 2022 for human-rights abuses connected to the suppression of the July 2021 protests. The designation remains active in 2026.

Career timeline

  • : Graduates as electronics engineer, Universidad Central de Las Villas.
  • : Joins the Politburo of the PCC.
  • : Appointed First Vice President of the Council of State by Raúl Castro.
  • : Elected President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers.
  • : Becomes President of the Republic under the new 2019 Constitution.
  • : Elected First Secretary of the PCC at the 8th Congress (April).
  • : Major nationwide protests on 11 July; security forces detain hundreds.
  • : Designated by U.S. Treasury under EO 13818 (Global Magnitsky).
  • : Re-elected by the National Assembly to a second presidential term.

OFAC sanctions cross-reference

Miguel Díaz-Canel is currently designated by the U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control under EO 13818 (Global Magnitsky). See the live OFAC Cuba SDN list of individuals and the Cuba Sanctions Tracker for the active designation record.

Related people

Frequently asked questions

▸ Who is Miguel Díaz-Canel?
Miguel Díaz-Canel is the President of Cuba and First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC). He took office as President in April 2018 and added the PCC First Secretary role in April 2021, becoming the first non-Castro to hold either position.
▸ Is Miguel Díaz-Canel sanctioned by the United States?
Yes. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Díaz-Canel under Executive Order 13818 (Global Magnitsky) in July 2022, for human-rights abuses connected to the violent suppression of the 11 July 2021 protests. The designation remains active. Any U.S. person dealing with him is generally prohibited under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR, 31 CFR Part 515) and the OFAC SDN regime.
▸ Is the President of Cuba the same as the First Secretary of the PCC?
Since April 2021 they are held by the same person — Miguel Díaz-Canel — but they are distinct offices. The President of the Republic is the head of state defined by the 2019 Constitution. The First Secretary of the PCC leads the Communist Party, which under Article 5 of the Constitution is the 'leading force of the society and the state.' In Cuban practice the PCC role is the more powerful of the two.

Sources and further reading

Useful tools and explainers

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