Cuba's Communist Party Names Successor to Raul Castro

Cuba's Communist Party has named President Miguel Diaz-Canel as its new first secretary after Raul Castro announced his retirement.

Diaz-Canel will hold the most powerful position in the country, according to a D.W. report. The 60-year-old Diaz-Canel follows the leadership of brothers Fidel Castro and Raul Castro, who ruled Cuba for six long decades.

Miguel Diaz-Canel also represents the first leader to be born after a Cuban revolution that ousted the U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Bautista.

The president's selection as the first secretary of the Communist Party came as no surprise. Diaz-Canel is expected to continue with the one-party political system and socialist policies.

Raul Castro recently retired from being the head of Cuba's Communist Party after having a sense of fulfilling his mission and is confident of the country's future. The former leader also said that no one forced him to make this decision.

Raul Castro noted that as long as he lives, he will be ready to defend the homeland, the revolution, and socialism, according to an Associated Press report.

The transition poses a few challenges amid the pandemic, financial reforms, and certain restrictions that the Trump administration imposed.

Miguel Diaz-Canel's Rise to Power

Miguel Diaz-Canel started as a provincial party leader before he became the education minister in the national government in 2009. He also became Raul Castro's right-hand man in 2013.

Diaz-Canel said he would continue to consult his predecessor, noting that Raul Castro will always be present and aware of everything going on.

"Fighting energetically and sharing ideas and thoughts on the revolutionary cause through his advice, orientation, and alerts in the face of any error or deficiency," Diaz-Canel said in his first speech after being chosen.

Some Havana residents welcomed the transition, saying that Diaz-Canel was more in tune with the times. However, some were skeptical if it would make much of a difference, according to a Reuters report.

Diaz-Canel also commented on Cuba's economy, saying that it had shown itself to be resilient. He noted that despite new U.S. sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba maintained socialist achievements, such as universal healthcare and education.

The Communist Party leader also cautioned opposition activists in light of the growing movement of artists and journalists who have been staging protests and provocative performances.

The emergence of the internet has given Cubans more platform to express their frustrations in the country.

"Those who continuously offend in words and acts... would be well advised that this people's patience has limits," Diaz-Canel noted.

William LeoGrande, a professor of government at American University, said that economic problems are the biggest struggles that Cuban's new leaders might be facing.

The Cuban expert noted that if the government and the party cannot get the economy growing, they will face real political peril.

Castro Brothers Leadership

The Castro brothers have been the front of ousting Bautista during the guerilla war that Fidel Castro led.

Raul Castro has opened an extensive relationship between U.S. and Cuba since the early 1960s and managed to reach accords with former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2014.

Raul Castro succeeded Fidel Castro as head of the Communist Party in 2011. Cuba was ruled by Fidel Castro from 1959 to 2006 when he fell ill. Fidel Castro died in 2016.

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