Fidel's Brother Takes The Reins In Cuba

Cuba's Parliament Officially Passes Power To Raul Castro, Longtime Aide, Leaving Government Unshaken

(CBS/AP)  Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president on Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel but leaving the island's communist system unshaken.

In a surprise move, an old guard revolutionary leader was named No. 2, suggesting that major changes are not likely anytime soon.

The vote came just five days after the ailing 81-year-old president said he was retiring, capping a career in which he frustrated efforts by 10 U.S. presidents to oust him.

Jose Ramon Machado, who fought alongside the Castro brothers in the Sierra Maestra during the late 1950s, was named to the No. 2 slot that Raul Castro had previously held. He is 76 years old, like Raul Castro.

Cabinet secretary Carlos Lage, who many had expected would move up into the first vice president slot, maintained his spot as one of five other vice presidents on the governing Council of State.

The other four vice presidents included Juan Almeida Bosque, 80, a historic revolutionary leader; Interior Minister Abeldardo Colomoe Ibarra, 68; Esteban Lazo Hernandez, 63, a longtime Communist Party leader, and Gen. Julio Casas Regueiro, 71, who was Raul Castro's No. 2 at the Defense Ministry.

"The selection of Raul Castro to be Cuba's new President was an anticipated choice, designed to extend the revolutionary regime created fifty years ago," said CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pamela Falk, "but with Fidel Castro remaining in power as head of the Communist Party, the ability of Raul Castro to implement any reforms, if he had even intended to, will be limited."

"Raul Castro does have the historic opportunity to change the course of Cuban politics," added Falk, "but, given his history as Defense Minister at Fidel Castro's side, it is unlikely that any major political reforms will occur."

In his first speech as Cuba's new leader, Raul Castro said he could continue to consult Fidel Castro on important decisions of state.

CBS News producer Portia Siegelbaum said that the selection "sends a message to the world that Fidel Castro is not out of the picture yet," promising continuity in both domestic and international policies.

They certainly didn’t make any changes to please the United States, Siegelbaum notes: The appointment of Machado as first vice president was a surprise. Most people expected Lage, who is only 56 and has already served in a position equivalent to prime minister, to become First Vice President. Instead they chose a 75-year-old Communist party ideologue and long-time aid to Fidel Castro who is considered a hard liner. "The younger guy moved down the totem pole," Siegelbaum said.

"So even though Fidel is not sitting on the Council of State, his presence is heavily felt."

Nevertheless, in Raul Castro's speech afterwards, he talked about the need to improve people's lives, with an emphasis on economics: wages have to become living wages (being able to live off of legitimate jobs rather than money earned on the black market); reevaluating the Cuban currency; and taking a look at the services that are heavily subsidized by the government.

Since taking over as Acting President, Raul Castro has actually encouraged Cubans to come forward with complaints or opinions about what needed to be done to make life better; about two million such comments are being examined, and Castro said they are moving slowly but in a consistent way to respond to as many of those problems as is possible.

He also hinted that there are other changes coming down the road - perhaps changes in travel restrictions, steps that don’t require a lot of building up of the economy, but that people would be pleased with.

Siegelbaum suggests today's development send a double message: "We didn’t throw Fidel out, but yes, times have changed and we have to do something to catch up with them."

Speaking from Havana this morning, Siegelbaum said that while Raul Castro has been running the government for more than a year now, he had been doing so perhaps a bit reluctantly: "He's never seemed to be a person who's really wanted the position of president of the country. He's kind of always implied that he at some point hopes he'll be able to retire and spend some time with his family.

"But I think it's something he will take on, feeling it's very important, for the national identity and for U.S.-Cuba relations, to maintain a Castro in power."

Earlier today, as the names of the new National Assembly's 614 members were read aloud, mention of the absent Castro drew a standing ovation. Castro's absentee ballot with his votes for governing Council of State members, including his replacement, was delivered to parliament.

Parliament gave another standing ovation to Raul Castro.

The younger Castro has headed Cuba's caretaker government for 19 months, ever since Fidel announced he had undergone emergency intestinal surgery and was provisionally ceding his powers.

Siegelbaum said she was told by one member of parliament that Raul Castro is expected to deliver what was described as "an important and substantial speech" later today.

[libsrweak]

Congrats to Raul!

Posted by jh6379 at 10:12 AM : Feb 25, 2008
+ report abuse

*********

as long as there are liberals..there will be tyranny and there will be tyrants.

[ozonmojo]

The surprise of the century !!!!!!!

[quetzal0666]

I Admire Fidel as a RevolutionaRY iCON, FOR sTANDING UP TO u.s. hEGEMONY IN A TIME OF DICTATORSHIP,
sadly though he became that which he sought to change.
the Embargo Should End. Free Enterprise
is a much more powerful force than any form of government, even Democracy.

[juwboy]

Jerry O''Mara:

Seriously ...

I use the rhetorical style that''s most effective in gaining an advantage over the imbecile I''m addressing.

[juwboy]

Jerry O''Mara:

YAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNN!

[antizion]

I would like to emigrate to Cuba so that I can obtain free and quality health care and free quality education.

The average Cuban has a better quality of life than the average american.

If most americans were not so poor, they could travel the world and see just how bad we have it here. The poor slobs of the US reel at the word socialism, I don''t have a problem with the word social and your costs would go down and quality of care go up under single payer system.

But stupid is as stupid does and most americans do not own their own thoughts thanks to a mass media controlled by 7 jews.

Perhaps they are protecting the cash cow medical system controlled of 70% jewish doctors? Protecting insurance industry controlled by the jews? Or maybe a legal system that makes money on this misery that is 70% jewish?

Why is it that the jews control everything we need but can no longer afford and is abusive?

Ask any German that lived in Germany before WWII. They will tell you how the jews had taken over roughly 70% of all valuable jobs and become very abusive. History repeats itself.

[iceman_1960]

WHEN


"...whom the U.S. health care system had abandoned when they became ill..."

[iceman_1960]

There"s a beautiful scene in the documentary "Sicko" where Michael Moore finds some 9/11 First Responders, whom the U.S. health care system had abandoned went they became ill, and takes them down to Cuba, where the modern Cuban health care system treats them for free and helps them recover their health.

Later they all go the a fire station, where the Cuban firefighters salute them as heroes.

[grimloxz]

***... WHEN DID COMMUNISM BECOME A MONARCHY???

n kores hands power from father to son to son...

cuba hand power to his brother...

who will hugo hand power to???

i thought we were all equal??? right comrade???

hahaha

by terrorislam0

Sorta like Bush Sr to Bush Jr. Sorta like Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt. Like John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Or the Daly''s of Chicago, the Hahn''s of Los Angeles.

Oh please, Captain America. This country has a long history of nepotism and politics. These are only the more obvious examples.

Americans are the quintessential examples of the podborn in the Matrix.

[alphaa10-2009]

jerryomara asks, "There are 70 people in jail in cuba that should be free and millions in China some one please explain to me what the diffence is??"
---
The difference is spelled W-T-O ("Whose Trade Organization?") a confederacy of globalist multinationals unimpeded by any sense of an "ethics problem" in advancing its own and quite narrow, interests against the rest of the world. Like Paul Wolfowitz? You''ll love WTO.

In sharpest relief, were the situation reversed, and China-- the world''s largest dictatorship-- no longer a top trading partner but Cuba, you would find certain mercenary lobbies in Washington switching sides overnight, insisting "Fidel is a populist leader!" and "Trade First with Our Neighbors!". And downplaying the fact Cuba is as communist as the PRC.

But no, Cuba is not a world-class industrial leader-- not even our trading partner. And because it does not smog the skies or pollute whole river systems like China, it is deserving of all the animosity Bush can focus. Doubtless, Bush is busy plotting to obstruct the succession of power in Cuba-- the Latin vote in Florida and elsewhere weighs heavily on the GOP.

[ontheleft]

Raul will probably govern for another 10 years. That is pissing off a lot of people right now. Especially the Cubans living in Florida. Oh well, them''s the breaks.

[afmca]

Hopefully our new Democratic President will end this moronic embargo of Cuba. That Bush strengthens it shows a total lack of perspective. If the pre-Castro rulers and money people would not have been so corrupt and greedy, Castro would have never come to power. Revolutions do not happen in a vacuum.

[downtowner97]

We want Cuban cigars, Cubans want Marlboro cigarettes, the Soviet missiles were made into scrap 40 years ago... Please lift the embargo. I want to fly to Cuba and sit on the beach with a drink.

We have given China MFN status, and we''re going there to participate in the Olympics, and China is far more oppressive to its people than Cuba.

Lifting the embargo wouldn''t be a loss, it would be a victory, as trade with the US would create a completely different climate in Cuba. Cuban expatriates living in Florida would probably run home to get a job.

[harp1963]

Maybe Fidels convictions are rubbing off on us.

http://www.post-gazette.com/robrogers/

[fishinfool43]

It sure would be nice to have a nice Cuban cigar about now

[dgermenis]

Nobody cares.

[denn034]

More of the same!

[konabike]

Hope he will help freedom for Cuba. Have better relations with USA. Fidel should sit in wheel chair and pet a dumb rabit.

[likeitis5050]

Wow...this came out of left field!!! What a shock. Yawn...and on to something newsworthy.

[it_oldtimer]

Does this really surprise anybody?

Cuba, you are truly an utterly hopeless case...