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Thursday, April 19, 2018, 23:14
Cuba swears in Diaz-Canel to replace Castro as president
By Agencies
Thursday, April 19, 2018, 23:14 By Agencies

In this photo released by Cuba's state-run media Cubadebate, Cuba's President Raul Castro, center left, enters the National Assembly followed by Miguel Diaz-Canel, center right, First Vice President of the Council of State, for the start of two-day legislative session in Havana, Cuba, April 18, 2018. (IRENE PEREZ / CUBADEBATE VIA AP)

HAVANA - Cuban Communist Party stalwart Miguel Diaz-Canel replaced Raul Castro as president on Thursday, a new chapter for the island after nearly sixty years of rule by the Castro brothers but a change that is aimed at preserving Cuban socialism. 

The National Assembly swore in Diaz-Canel, with 603 out of 604 lawmakers present voting for the 57-year old, marking a generational shift from 86-year old Castro. 

In this file picture taken on May 5, 2017 Cuban First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel listens to the speech by Ecuador's President Rafael Correa (out of frame) after he received the Honoris Causa Degree at the Aula Magna of Havana University, Havana. (ADALBERTO ROQUE / AFP)

ALSO READ: Cuba to start historic transition a day earlier

The transition, while a historic shift from an era that started with Fidel and Raul Castro's 1959 revolution, was not expected to herald sweeping changes to the island's state-run economy and one-party system, one of the last in the world. 

Diaz-Canel is seen as a loyalist of the Communist Party, which is designated by the constitution as Cuba's guiding political force, and he has worked his way up the party's ranks over three decades. 

Castro, who was president from 2008 when he took over from his ailing older brother Fidel, will retain considerable clout as he will remain head of the Communist Party until a congress in 2021. 

For many Cubans, struggling with economic hardships and frustrated with the government's emphasis on continuity rather than change, the transition in leader is seen as unlikely to bring much beyond the symbolism of a new leader. 

Cubans hope the next government can resurrect one of the world's last Soviet-style centrally planned economies that has failed to improve under limited market reforms by Castro. 

READ MORE: Cuba transition sparks hope for many generations

Cuban President Raul Castro speaks during a meeting at the Revolution Palace in Havana on March 29, 2018. (ERNESTO MASTRASCUSA / POOL / AFP)



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