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Raul Castro Chosen to Lead Cuba

By VOA News
24 February 2008

Cuba's parliament has named Defense Minister Raul Castro as president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel Castro, but leaving the island nation on a communist path.

Lawmakers picked the 76-year-old Raul Castro as head of state Sunday. Shortly after the vote was taken, the new president said he would consult with his brother on all major decisions of state.

Separately, in what was seen as a surprise move, lawmakers named longtime Communist leader Jose Ramon Machado to the number two spot in Cuba.

Raul Castro had been running the country on a provisional basis since his brother became ill in July 2006. Last week, the 81-year-old Fidel Castro announced he would not accept another term as president .

Fidel Castro will remain head of Cuba's Communist Party. He was not present for the vote, but two deputies delivered his ballot.

U.S. President George Bush has said he hopes the transfer of power in Cuba will mean the beginning of a democratic transition.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice issued a statement Sunday urging Cuba to move toward "peaceful, democratic change."

In an article in the Communist Party newspaper, Granma, Fidel Castro discounted reports that his retirement would lead to political change.

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez - a close ally of Fidel Castro - said the leadership change in Havana was occurring without problems.

Raul Castro has promoted free enterprise farmers' markets and suggested Cuba's Communist economy could be reformed. But Mr. Castro's daughter Alina Fernandez, who lives in Florida, said in an interview with CNN that she did not expect any big changes in Cuba.

Many Cubans complain about their lack of money and food shortages, in a country where typical monthly wages are about the equivalent of $15.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte says Washington will not lift its long-standing trade embargo against Cuba anytime soon.

Cuba says the embargo has cost the country more than $86 billion and that it is forced to import items that would be cheaper coming from the United States.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.