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After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl
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After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in 
the era of Raúl
Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent 
February 25, 2008
Cuba’s national assembly has unanimously 
named 76-year-old Raúl Castro as the new head 
of state, and formally ended almost 50 years of 
rule by his older brother Fidel Castro. The Cuban 
constitution had already named Raúl as the man 
who would follow Fidel as head of state so his 
appointment was not a surprise. However, the 
appointment of a hardliner as his deputy was 
a surprise. José Ramón Machado, a 77-year-
old who was a comrade of Fidel in the Cuban 
guerrilla war, became deputy head of state when 
many people thought a younger man would get 
the job. 
Raúl made his first speech as leader wearing a 
suit and tie instead of his usual army uniform. He 
promised to consult Fidel on important decisions 
of state. “The leader of the Cuban revolution 
is a special man. Fidel is Fidel, as we all know 
well, no-one can replace him,” he said. The new 
president said socialism would continue after 
Fidel and his generation. “Our task is clear ... 
to continue to make the revolution stronger at 
a historic moment. This is particularly important 
when the generation which led the revolution is 
disappearing,” he said.
The Cuban authorities wanted to show that 
everything in the country was normal so there 
was no drama in the 614-seat parliament when 
the historic appointment was made. The streets 
of the Cuban capital Havana were quiet as 
people followed the latest step in 81-year-old 
Fidel’s departure from public life. He began 
the process of leaving public life 19 months 
ago when he left power for a short time for 
emergency medical treatment. Last week Fidel, 
who is still recovering from his operation, said he 
did not want to accept another term as president.
The members of the Cuban parliament 
gave Raúl, who was head of the temporary 
government, a standing ovation before they 
confirmed him as head of state and government. 
The assembly also named a 31-member council 
of state. The Cuban authorities control the island 
and its 11 million people carefully and the calm 
atmosphere in the streets showed how strict 
that control is. Many Cubans want an end to a 
situation in which they are poorer than people in 
eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin wall.
The American government called on Cuba to 
move towards democracy. “We call on the Cuban 
government to begin a process of peaceful, 
democratic change by freeing all political prisoners, 
respecting human rights and creating a clear road 
towards free and fair elections,” Condoleeza Rice, 
the secretary of state, said in a statement.
It is still not clear how much influence Fidel will 
have. He is still leader of the Communist party 
and an assembly member and writes newspaper 
articles under the name Comrade Fidel. When 
someone mentioned his name in the assembly, 
there was a standing ovation. Fidel ruled Cuba 
almost single-handedly since the revolution in 
1959 and the members of the assembly always 
approved his decisions.
Raúl likes to consult his colleagues before he 
makes decisions so under his rule the council of 
state will probably have more power. The new 
president, who dislikes publicity, is in favour of a 
Chinese-type economic liberalization to improve 
living standards without weakening political 
control. He has encouraged people to criticize 
the system and some people hope that he will 
deliver better food, transport and housing and will 
not just make speeches.
With Raúl as president the military has taken 
control of much of the economy – managing 
farms, tourist resorts and other businesses and 
giving senior military officers political power. But