The silver-haired Diaz-Canel — a top Communist Party figure who has served as first vice president since 2013 — assumes power from Raul Castro, who himself took over from his elder brother Fidel , father of the 1959 revolution. In his first speech as president, Diaz-Canel vowed to keep the country on the path of that “revolution,” but also on the road to economic reform. Diaz-Canel was elected in a landmark vote of the National Assembly which took place on Wednesday — he was the sole candidate for the presidency — with the result formally announced on Thursday. The chamber erupted into applause as the result was read out, with many of the delegates smiling, and shaking hands warmly with Castro and Diaz-Canel. Thursday’s much-anticipated transfer of power took place on the anniversary of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, when Fidel’s forces defeated 1,400 US-backed rebels seeking to overthrow him.

Source: Punch April 19, 2018 14:06 UTC