“The Cuban government and Communist party are facing the worst crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union, both economically and politically,” said Bill LeoGrande, a Cuba specialist at American University in Washington. “The government is broke, it doesn’t have the money to import enough food or fuel.”

Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed at least four times over the weekend, the latest development in a broader economic crisis facing the country.

Cuba's power grid has ground to a halt for a second time in as many days, leaving 10 million on the island without power and the Caribbean island in a growing sense of crisis.

Many of Cuba’s power plants are outdated and inefficient; some have been in operation for over 50 years without proper maintenance. After the country’s grid collapsed when hurricane Ian hit in 2022, experts warned the government needed to urgently invest in modernizing the system.

The electrical grid is so fragile that when Hurricane Ian went over the western tip of the island in September 2022 it took out the country’s entire electrical system, plunging Cuba into darkness for days.

Electricity outages have paralyzed an already-crippled economy, leading to shortages of everything from cash to running water.

Canel warned citizens there would be consequences for taking to the streets as many on the island were still without power after more than 72 hours.

Electricity has been restored to almost 90 percent of Havana, the Cuban capital's energy supplier reported Monday, but several provinces remained without power four days after the start of a