February 19, 2008

Castro To Resign After 50 Years In Power

UPDATED.

Cuba's iconic leader, Fidel Castro, announced today that he will step down as president and commander in chief. He assumed power in 1959 and is the world's longest-serving political leader.

Castro published the news in a letter to the online edition of the Cuban Communist Party's daily paper, Granma, writing that he would "neither aspire to nor accept the positions of president of the state council and commander in chief." A translation of the letter is available here.

Poor health has driven the 81-year-old leader out of the public eye. Just before undergoing surgery for what he calls "intestinal trouble" in July 2006, Castro handed power over to his brother, Raul, and has not been seen in public since. Fidel acknowledged his health issues in announcing his resignation: "It would be a betrayal to my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I am physically able to offer."

Raul Castro is now slated to take over his brother's position, with an official transition of power expected this weekend. Meanwhile, Cubans and the rest of the world will be watching to see who is named second-in-command to the 76-year-old.

President Bush, appearing in a joint press conference with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali today, responded to the news by calling for "a period of democratic transition" in Cuba. "The question really should be what does this mean for the people in Cuba?" he said, calling for free and fair elections to choose Castro's successor.

"And I mean free and I mean fair," he added, "not these kind of staged elections that the Castro brothers try to foist off as true democracy." The White House Web site has a full transcript of Bush's remarks.

In response to reporters' questions at the State Department, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said today he does not expect Castro's resignation to change U.S. policies toward Cuba, particularly its trade embargo with the communist nation.

The Miami Herald reports that Cuban-Americans have received the news of Castro's resignation with cautious optimism. "In a year or so, I think, we will see some change,'" Luis Garcia, 75, told the paper. "Fidel no longer has the ability to run a country. He's very ill."

But in an analysis this morning, the Economist predicts that change will be slow to come in Cuba: "As long as Fidel remains alive, a move towards liberal democracy will not happen. Frail though he is, Fidel Castro will continue to exercise a veto power over the pace and direction of change in Cuba."

The London Guardian offers profiles of Castro's potential successors, BBC News spotlights his life and career, and ABC News has a photo timeline of his reign.

Posted at 12:00 PM
Posted to: Cuba, Fidel Castro
Share via