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Cuba's Communist Party Chooses Diaz-Canel as New Leader

VOA News

   Cuba'spresident, Miguel Diaz-Canel, will become the leader ofcountry's
   communistparty,two days after Raul Castrosaidhe was retiring from the
   position.

   Theannouncementwas made on Monday, making it thesecond time Miguel
   Diaz-Canelhas followed in the footsteps ofRaulCastro. The first time as
   president andnow withmore influential positionof becoming theleader of
   theparty.

   Diaz-Canel, 60, took overthe presidencyfrom his mentor, Raul Castro,in
   2018.But duringCastro's retirement speech,part of which was
   televised,Castrofell short of announcing whowouldsucceed him asparty
   leader.

   Diaz-Canel,who turns 61 Tuesday, has begun to open the state-dominated
   economy, something thatmanyyoungCubanssupport.
   Cuban President Diaz-Canel made Communist Party leader, ending Castro
   era, April 19, 2021.

   His appointment ends the rule of the Castros but hardly their
   influence.

   The Castros led a revolution that overthrew the authoritarian rule of
   Fulgencio Batista in 1959. TheCuban Communist Partywas formed six years
   after withFedel Castron, Rau'solderbrother, as its leader.

   FidelCastroheld the country under his tight control until his health
   forcedhim to cede the presidency to Raulin 2006.

   In 2011, FidelCastrohanded over the leadership of thecommunist partyto
   his younger brother to continue their legacy. Four years later, in
   2016, Castro died.

   Although he was born a year after the revolution, Diaz-Canel has always
   been in the shadow of the Castros.

   He was appointed a minister of higher education in 2009, rose through
   the ranks until his appointment in 2012 as first vice president.

   Diaz-Canel, a one-time youth non-conformist is an engineer by
   profession but has mostly been a politician who worked his way to the
   top.

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