After 50 years of tenure, Fidel Castro has
announced his resignation as Cuba’s
president. The newspaper Granma, the official publication of the Cuban
Communist Party, quotes Fidel Castro as saying he is not interested in another
term as president. Castro’s health problems are well known, especially after
the intestinal surgery he underwent in July 2006.
After this surgical intervention,
El Lider Maximo has not appeared in public. His brother, Raul has been the
acting president of Cuba.
The 81-year old Cuban leader has only been seen in photographs and videos.
Hearing the news, US President
George W. Bush said that Castro’s stepping down from power,represents the
beginning of a democratic transition in Cuba, which will favor free
elections. “The United States
will help the people of Cuba
realize the blessings of liberty,” Bush said, quoted by Reuters.
British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown’s spokesman said that the retirement of the Cuban leader would lead “to
more respect for human rights and the release of political prisoners” and an
opportunity to achieve a pluralist democracy.
It is very likely that the
National Assembly on Sunday would appoint the 76-year old Raul Castro as head
of the state.
However, Fidel Castro said in his
letter that he has never wanted to hold on to positions and prevent young
politicians from ascending to power. His intention was to share his life
experiences and ideas, adding that “I am not saying goodbye to you. I only wish
to fight as a soldier of ideas.”
According to certain political experts,
Fidel Castro’s statement might imply the fact that the Sunday’s vote won’t
bring major changes in Cuba,
as it will still be ruled by two presidents, Raul Castro and Fidel Castro,
International Herald Tribune reports.
Moreover, Castro said that he
wanted to maintain a political equilibrium in the country on the background of
the United States’
attempt to take control over the country’s future: “To prepare the people for my
absence, psychologically and politically, was my first obligation after so many
years of struggle,” he said.
Fidel Castro, who was named
commander-in-chief, has ruled Cuba
for half a century. He seized power in Cuba in 1959, after the guerillas
led by him, managed to drive U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile
on Jan. 1, 1959.
