For the first time since the middle of the last century the country of Cuba will have a leader not named Castro. Miguel Diaz-Canel officially became the island’s leader on Thursday after Raul Castro stepped down and Canel was sworn in as the country’s president.
Castro, who will turn 87 in June, will remain the head of the Communist Party, the most influential political body in the nation but his stepping aside represents a dramatic symbol in the shifting of power on the island-nation.
The transition is meant to facilitate a younger generation’s assumption of power. Diaz-Canel has served as Cuba’s vice president since 2013. He turns 58 today.
Raul Castro had served two five-year terms as president, succeeding his brother Fidel in 2006. Fidel Castro had served as Cuba’s leader since 1959 when he overthrew the military dictatorship of General Fulgencio Batista in a rebellion.
Relations with the U.S. were estranged from that time until 2014 when then-President Barack Obama announced normalization with the country. Obama would become the first sitting President to visit the island-nation since 1928 when he visited the country in 2016.
The transition of power comes at a critical time in Cuba’s history when the country’s economy is stagnating and younger generations have become disillusioned with limited opportunities.
Earlier this year the Trump administration announced it was permanently reducing the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Havana by 60% after an evacuation of personnel in October when staff fell victim to a series unexplained illnesses.
The incidents came after President Donald Trump reversed many of the initiatives put in place by the Obama administration that thawed relations. As the Trump administration changed its stance, Cuba responded with tougher rhetoric.
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