The 60-year reign of Castro has ended in Cuba / Article / LSM.lv

In Cuba, the current leader of the Communist Party has been the current President Miguel Dias Cannel. In this position, he replaced the almost 90-year-old Raoul Castro, thus becoming the first civilian leader under Cuba in more than 60 years.

The new president has already implemented a number of reforms needed to stabilize the country’s economy, but these are not always welcomed by the Communist Party.

A representative of the new generation

The Castro clan had been in power in Cuba for 60 years – from the beginning it was the famous revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, but for the last ten years he was ruled by his brother Raul, who will celebrate his 90th anniversary on June 3.

Rauls Kastro already announced in 2018that the powers of the President be transferred to Miguel Dias Kanel. On Monday, Dias Kanel also took on the position of the most influential – the first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, thus becoming the first civilian leader of Cuba.

Former bodyguard Miguel Dias Cannel is considered to be a relatively progressive technocrat who remains absolutely loyal to socialism, the one-party system and the ideology of the Communist Party.

Although Dias Kanel turns 61 on Tuesday, he is considered a member of the new generation of the Communist Party, who will bring new impetus to the movement and who will have to take care of attracting new people to the ruling political force.

Cautious reforms

However, according to Rob Parson, senior foreign policy editor at France 24, some of the reforms proposed and implemented by the president have already provoked dissatisfaction among the Communist Party.

“Dias Kanel has established himself as a man who, although he wants to stick to the rule of one party, is ready to implement some reforms. Since he took office as president in 2018, several economic reforms have been implemented. For example, it is easier for citizens to start their own businesses. It’s still difficult and the bureaucracy is unthinkable, but people have the opportunity to open a restaurant or another business, ”Parsons points out.

“He is, too facilitated access to the Internet, and Cubans can now access some social networks both at home and on their phones. However, the Communist Party is concerned that these reforms may have gone too far. “

Economic crisis

Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge for the new Cuban leader is considered to be the state of the country’s economy. The Cuban economy is currently experiencing its worst crisis in 30 years, as the Covid-19 pandemic has effectively halted the tourism industry.

The Cuban economy has fallen by more than 11 percent, with many people facing food shortages and long queues even for basic necessities. In addition, dissatisfaction with limited personal freedoms is growing in most of the public, and this dissatisfaction is often loudly expressed on social media sites.

According to commentators, in this situation, the new leader will have to make serious efforts to balance the implementation of the necessary reforms with maintaining support among the ruling party’s hardliners.

The United States will not yet lift sanctions

Cuba’s relations with the United States have also deteriorated significantly over the past four years. After the thaw in relations between the two countries during Barack Obama’s reign, Donald Trump’s presidency came with new sanctions that are not expected to be lifted, at least for the time being. According to White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, support for democracy and human rights will remain at the heart of US-Cuban relations.

Most Cuban observers admit that, despite his respectable age, Raul Castro will not disappear far from the political scene, as he puts it, he will always be there to put his foot in the door and defend socialism if necessary.

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