Fidel Castro’s brother, Raul Castro, officially took Fidel’s place as leader of Cuba’s communist party Tuesday. Delegates first learned of Fidel’s resignation at Cuba’s four-day Communist Party congress held in Havana.
On-lookers reported seeing many of the delegates shed tears as an aide helped Fidel to his seat on the stage.
Raul has run the country since late 2006, when Fidel contracted a nearly-fatal stomach infection. Raul, appointed as first secretary of the party, chose 80-year-old veteran Jose Ramon Machado Ventura as his deputy and 78-year-old Ramiro Valdes as third-in-command.
Raul is 79.
Raul’s choices have dashed any hopes that change would come to the Communist-led country. Raul’s deputy, Ventura, fought alongside Fidel to overthrow Fulgencio Batista in 1959.
But Fidel’s son has proposed economic reforms that, if enacted, would bring major changes to the island nation. The reforms would include an authorization to Cubans to buy and sell private property for the first time in over 50 years. Workers would also be issued licenses to open private businesses.
Term limits will also be imposed on party leadership.
In a newspaper column Tuesday, Fidel tried to squash rumors that he and Raul had fallen out over his proposed reforms. Raul had known about the reforms in advance and he approved of them, he told reporters.
