26-04-2018: Latin American Weekly Report

Miguel Díaz-Canel was appointed as the new president of Cuba by the 605- seat national assembly on 19 April. It marked an important milestone in the transfer of power from the older generation of Cuba’s históricos to the younger generation: Díaz-Canel, 57, was born the year after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. But the real changing of the guard will not take place until Raúl Castro relinquishes control of the title of first secretary of the Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC). Díaz-Canel is scheduled to inherit this position, described in the constitution as the “leading force of society and the state” and only ever held by a Castro, in 2021. Until then Díaz-Canel will be constrained, although in his inaugural speech he suggested that this would not be a problem, being completely committed to continuity rather than change.