CUBA:Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba for almost half a century, stepped down as president yesterday in a move that raised the prospect of the opening up one of the world's last communist states.
President Castro (81), who has been in worsening health since July 2006, released on the website of the official communist party newspaper Granma his intention to end his long domination.
The announcement comes just days before Cuba's national assembly is due to meet to select a head of state and is expected to pave the way for the president's brother, Raúl, to officially become the new leader. Raúl Castro (76) has been the effective leader of Cuba since his brother's illness. He is the world's longest-serving defence minister and is believed to have a firm grip on the armed forces and security apparatus.
US president George Bush, responding to the news while on a tour of Africa, said the move should begin the process of opening up the country. He said he viewed this as the beginning of democratic transition for the Cuban people.
President Castro's departure could allow younger members of the ruling elite to ascend to stronger positions. He has strongly hinted at a need for a generational change and his brother has also indicated that changes to the way the island is governed, especially economically, are needed.
Possible eventual successors are the vice-president, Carlos Lage (56); the foreign minister Felipe Pérez Roque (42); and Ricardo Alarcón (70), who was Cuba's ambassador to the UN before becoming president of the national assembly.
The news broke with the release of a characteristically rambling letter from Castro: "I will not aspire to, neither will I accept - I repeat I will not aspire to, neither will I accept - the position of the president of the council of state." President Castro said his ill-health was denying him the physical ability to fully commit to the job of running the country. Perhaps showing a flash of his trademark humour, he also quipped: "This I say devoid of all drama."
The new leadership will have to deal with the country's major problem for almost 50 years: its isolation. Crippling US trade sanctions are still in place. Asked if the US might lift the embargo, deputy secretary of state, John Negroponte, said it was unlikely. The US's position is influenced by its large number of Cuban exiles, a powerful force in the vital election state of Florida. In a presidential election year, few politicians will want to anger that voting bloc by advocating a rush to embrace any new Cuban leadership, especially if led by Raúl Castro.
For ordinary Cubans the news is likely to be unsettling. Fidel Castro is a giant figure, striding over 50 years of the country's history in a way few other world leaders have done. Almost two-thirds of Cubans were born after the revolution and have known no other leader.
President Castro's legacy is a mixed one. His revolution swept to power deposing the ruthless American-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. He used his power to bring sweeping social changes and instituted widely admired healthcare and education systems. But he never brought back democracy, and economic mismanagement, coupled with sanctions, has left Cuba desperately poor.