Raul Castro confirms he's resigning, ending long era in Cuba
The Hindu
His retirement means that for the first time in more than six decades Cubans won't have a Castro formally guilding their affairs
Raul Castro said Friday he is resigning as head of Cuba's Communist Party, ending an era of formal leadership by himself and his brother Fidel Castro that began with the 1959 revolution. The 89-year-old Mr Castro made the announcement Friday in a speech at the opening of the Eighth congress of the ruling party, the only one allowed on the island. He said he was retiring with the sense of having "fulfilled his mission and confident in the future of the fatherland." Mr Castro didn't say who he would endorse as his successor as first secretary of the Communist Party. But he previously indicated that he favors yielding control to 60-year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel, who succeeded him as president in 2018 and is the standard bearer of a younger generation of loyalists who have been pushing an economic opening without touching Cuba's one-party system.More Related News