Is it the end of the Castro era?
Cuba is about to get a new president, and it will not be a Castro after nearly 60 years of their leadership.
The Castro brothers – Fidel and Raul – have between them been in power in Cuba for almost 60 years. But that is about to change.
More than eight million people were eligible to vote for a new general assembly on Sunday that will then be tasked with electing a new president in April.
This time the president’s name will not be Castro. Raul is stepping down after serving his second five-year term.
Cuba’s new leader is likely to be someone who did not fight in the 1959 revolution, with current Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel a favourite for the job.
However, Raul Castro is expected to stay on as leader of the Communist Party.
So, will it mean a change in politics for this island nation?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra
Guests:
Peter Hakim – president emeritus of the Inter-American Dialogue
Carlos Alzugaray – Cuba’s former ambassador to the European Union
Larry Birns – director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs