Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Raul Castro Confirms He's Resigning, Ending Long Era in Cuba
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
April 16, 2021

Share

HAVANA — Raul Castro said Friday he is resigning as head of Cuba’s Communist Party, ending an era of formal leadership by he and his brother Fidel Castro that began with the 1959 revolution.

The 89-year-old 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.

Successor Not Yet Named

He said he was retiring with the sense of having “fulfilled his mission and confident in the future of the fatherland.”

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.

His retirement means that for the first time in more than six decades Cubans won’t have a Castro formally guilding their affairs, and it comes at a difficult time, with many on the island anxious about what lies ahead.

Cubans Left to Address Lingering Issues

The coronavirus pandemic, painful financial reforms and restrictions imposed by the Trump administration have battered the economy, which shrank 11% last year as a result of a collapse in tourism and remittances. Long food lines and shortages have brought back echoes of the “special period” that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Discontent has been fueled by the spread of the internet and growing inequality.

Much of the debate inside Cuba is focused on the pace of reform, with many complaining that the so-called “historic generation” represented by Castro has been too slow to open the economy.

In January, Diaz-Canel finally pulled the trigger on a plan approved two congresses ago to unify the island’s dual currency system, giving rise to fears of inflation. He also threw the doors open to a broader range of private enterprise — a category long banned or tightly restricted — permitting Cubans to legally operate many sorts of self-run businesses from their homes.

This year’s congress is expected to focus on unfinished reforms to overhaul state-run enterprises, attract foreign investment and provide more legal protection to private business activities.

The End of the Castro Family’s Reign

The Communist Party is made up of 700,000 activists and is tasked in Cuba’s constitution with directing the affairs of the nation and society.

Fidel Castro, who led the revolution that drove dictator Fulgencio Batista from power in 1959, formally became head of the party in 1965, about four years after officially embracing socialism.

He quickly absorbed the old party under his control and was the country’s unquestioned leader until falling ill in 2006 and in 2008 handing over the presidency to his younger brother Raul, who had fought alongside him during the revolution.

Raul succeeded him as head of the party in 2011. Fidel Castro died in 2016.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Musk Relationship Over, Warns of ‘Serious Consequences’ if He Funds Democrats

DON'T MISS

Iran Says It Obtained Sensitive Israeli Nuclear Documents

DON'T MISS

Trump Has Options to Punish Musk Even if His Federal Contracts Continue

DON'T MISS

Ukrainian Attack Damaged 10% of Russia’s Strategic Bombers, Germany Says

DON'T MISS

Riot Police, Anti-ICE Protesters Square Off in Los Angeles After Raids

DON'T MISS

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

DON'T MISS

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

DON'T MISS

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

DON'T MISS

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

DON'T MISS

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

UP NEXT

Mexico to Announce ‘Measures’ Next Week if No Deal on US Metals Tariffs

UP NEXT

Pressure Mounts on Netanyahu as Opposition Moves to Dissolve Parliament

UP NEXT

Dutch Government Collapses After Far-Right Leader Wilders Quits Coalition

UP NEXT

Gaza Ministry Says Israel Kills More Than 30 Aid Seekers, Israel Denies

UP NEXT

Nonprofit Ship Sets Sail for Gaza After Drone Attack Setback

UP NEXT

Israel Blocks Ramallah Meeting With Arab Ministers, Israeli Official Says

UP NEXT

Israeli Forces Open Fire a Kilometer Away From Gaza Aid Site, Killing 3, Health Officials Say

UP NEXT

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

UP NEXT

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

UP NEXT

UN May Cut Staff by 20%, Internal Memo Says

Ukrainian Attack Damaged 10% of Russia’s Strategic Bombers, Germany Says

3 hours ago

Riot Police, Anti-ICE Protesters Square Off in Los Angeles After Raids

3 hours ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

9 hours ago

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

9 hours ago

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

9 hours ago

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

9 hours ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

9 hours ago

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

11 hours ago

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

11 hours ago

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

12 hours ago

Trump Says Musk Relationship Over, Warns of ‘Serious Consequences’ if He Funds Democrats

BEDMINSTER, New Jersey – Donald Trump said on Saturday his relationship with his billionaire donor Elon Musk is over and warned there ...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

Trump Says Musk Relationship Over, Warns of ‘Serious Consequences’ if He Funds Democrats

2 hours ago

Iran Says It Obtained Sensitive Israeli Nuclear Documents

3 hours ago

Trump Has Options to Punish Musk Even if His Federal Contracts Continue

3 hours ago

Ukrainian Attack Damaged 10% of Russia’s Strategic Bombers, Germany Says

3 hours ago

Riot Police, Anti-ICE Protesters Square Off in Los Angeles After Raids

9 hours ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

9 hours ago

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

9 hours ago

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend