On Friday, local time, Raul Castro announced that he would step down as first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and would no longer accept the proposal to continue to hold the top leadership position in the party, thus ending the castro family's decades-long rule over Cuba, marking the first time in 62 years that there was no leader named Castro in Cuba and meaning that the Castro era would end. Where will Cuba go next?
Fidel Castro and Raul Castro
The Castro era ended
Raúl Castro announced the news on Friday at the opening of the eighth national congress of the Cuban Communist Party, publicly confirming his retirement plans. However, outside analysts believe that his withdrawal from Cuban politics does not mean that Cuba will usher in a wave of change, nor will it change Cuba's relationship with the United States.
Raul Castro, 89, said in his speech that he was ready to hand over power to young leaders who were "passionate and anti-imperialist." He also told the party deputies, "I believe in the strength, exemplary and understanding of my compatriots, and as long as I live, I will put my feet on stirrups to defend the fatherland, the revolution and socialism." ”
Raúl Castro stepped down in 2018 after serving two terms as Cuba's president. He was replaced by Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdes, his hand-picked heir. Although Raúl Castro said he expected Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdes to take his place again, no one immediately appointed a successor to lead the Cuban Communist Party.
Fidel castro
Raúl Castro's retirement marks a historic transformation in Cuba. Cuba has been led by Raúl Castro and his brother Fidel Castro since the 1959 Cuban Revolution, who died in 2016. Despite resigning as leader of the Cuban Communist Party, Raúl Castro is still considered an important figure in the Cuban government.
Where will Cuba go?
Raúl Castro faces a range of challenges as he steps from the top post of Cuban Communist Party, including a shrinking economy and a surge in coronavirus cases. However, the analysis said that Cuba's politics are not expected to change widely, because the leaders of the party that came to power after the revolution are expected to take the top positions, rather than young politicians who are more open to reform.
Jeff Thiel, director of the office for Latin American affairs in Washington, said, "This is not a dynastic transition, and the new leadership, while shaped by the Castro brothers and their legacy, is the next generation of the Cuban Communist Party, not the next generation of the Castro family." Ada Ferrer, a Cuban-born historian, said, "Nobody knows what will happen next, nobody knows what it will be like 60 years from now without the dynamism of the Castro family in the heart of Cuba." ”
Raúl Castro said in 2011 that it was time for a new generation to lead the revolution forward. For now, and he has made it clear, that he wants to leave with the rest of the historic generation. He said it was a mistake to allow leadership to age. That is, when Raúl begins his retirement in Santiago, his deputy, the 90-year-old Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, also appears to be on the way. As for the other eighties and nineties in the leadership, their political future is uncertain.