Cuba has themselves a new leader. But nothing is really going to change. Raul Castro is just Fidel's shadow and his supporting government is the same one that has been in place for decades. To expect change while these old guard revolutionaries are still running the country is to expect something they are incapable of delivering.
Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president on Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel but leaving the island's communist system unshaken. In a surprise move, an old guard revolutionary leader was named No. 2, suggesting that major changes are not likely anytime soon.
Raul Castro stressed that his brother remains "commander in chief" even if he is not president by proposing to consult with Fidel on all major decisions of state — a motion approved by acclamation.
Jose Ramon Machado, who fought alongside the Castro brothers in the Sierra Maestra during the late 1950s, was named to the No. 2 slot that Raul Castro had previously held. He is 76 years old, like Raul Castro.
The other four vice presidents included Juan Almeida Bosque, 80, a historic revolutionary leader; Interior Minister Abelardo Colome Ibarra, 68; Esteban Lazo Hernandez, 63, a longtime Communist Party leader, and Gen. Julio Casas Regueiro, 71, who was Raul Castro's No. 2 at the Defense Ministry.
The council secretary remained Dr. Jose M. Miyar Barrueco, 75, physician and historic revolutionary leader, and longtime aide to Fidel Castro and Council of State.
In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez, a close friend of Castro, said the leadership change in Havana was "occurring without any type of trauma."
"Transition in Cuba?" asked Chavez, whose country is now a major economic ally of Cuba. "The transition occurred 49 years ago, from that capitalism, dominiated by imperialism, (under which Cuba) was a colony, to a socialist Cuba. The transition will continue marching forward, always with Fidel at the forefront."
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