Raul Castro became acting president when his brother Fidel fell ill in 2006 and later in 2011 party leader, launching a raft of social and economic reforms. The transition comes as Cuba faces the worst economic crisis since the collapse of former benefactor the Soviet Union, while there are signs of growing frustration, especially among younger Cubans. Older Cubans said they would miss having a Castro at the helm, although most acknowledged it was time to pass on the baton. Castro said Cuba was ready for a "new type of relationship with the United States without ... Cuba having to renounce the principles of the revolution and socialism." Yet Castro said reforms fomenting the non-state sector should not go beyond certain limits that would lead to the "very destruction of socialism and the end of national sovereignty."

Source: Otago Daily Times April 16, 2021 22:41 UTC