The Castro era ends as Cuba swears in Miguel Diaz-Canel as president
New leader is a Communist Party loyalist, and the transition is not expected to herald sweeping changes to the island’s state-run economy and one-party system
Cuban Communist Party stalwart Miguel Diaz-Canel replaced Raul Castro as president on Thursday, drawing congratulations from China and Russia while the US expressed “disappointment”.
The transition is not expected to herald sweeping changes to the island’s state-run economy and one-party system, one of the last in the world.
Castro, 86, who took over from his ailing older brother Fidel in 2006, will retain considerable influence since he will remain head of the Communist Party until a congress in 2021. Fidel Castro died in 2016 at 90.
His departure from the presidency is still a symbolically charged moment for a country that has been under the absolute rule of one family since the 1959 revolution.
Facing biological reality but still active and apparently healthy, Castro is stepping down in an effort to guarantee that new leaders can maintain the government’s grip on power in the face of economic stagnation, an ageing population and increasing disenchantment among younger generations.
“I like sticking with the ideas of President Fidel Castro because he did a lot for the people of Cuba, but we need rejuvenation, above all in the economy,” said Melissa Mederos, a 21-year-old schoolteacher. “Diaz-Canel needs to work hard on the economy because people need to live a little better.”
