REUTERS FACTBOX: Raul Castro, Cuba's new leader

(Reuters) - Cuba's new leader Raul Castro was ratified as president on
Sunday, succeeding his more famous and ailing brother Fidel Castro,
who has not appeared in public for 19 months.

Here are some facts about Raul Castro:

* Raul Castro, 76, is the world's longest-serving defense minister,
commanding the Cuban armed forces since the 1959 revolution led by his
brother.

* The younger Castro has been his brother's trusted right-hand man
since their 1953 assault on the Moncada army barracks and guerrilla
insurgency in the Sierra Maestra mountains.

* Under his leadership, Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces became one
of the most formidable fighting forces in the Third World with combat
experience in Africa, where they defeated South Africa's army in
Angola in 1987.

* Known as a good administrator, Raul Castro downsized the army from
300,000 to 60,000 troops after the collapse of Soviet Communism threw
Cuba into severe economic crisis. He introduced Western business
practices to help make the armed forces self-sufficient. The military
has a large stake in the most dynamic sectors of the Cuban economy,
including tourism.

* Raul Castro became acting president on July 31, 2006, when his
brother delegated power after emergency intestinal surgery for an
undisclosed illness. Fidel Castro has not appeared in public since and
he announced his retirement last Tuesday.

* A low-key figure without the oratorical flair of his brother, Raul
Castro has held the post of second secretary of Cuba's ruling
Communist Party since it was founded in 1965.

* His daughter Mariela Castro is a sexologist who has defended the
rights of transsexuals and is pushing legislation to allow gay
marriage in Cuba.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle in Havana, Editing by Michael Christie
and Kieran Murray)




.

Relevant Pages

  • Raul Castro: Brother Fidel getting better
    ... HAVANA, Cuba -- Cuban President Fidel Castro is recovering gradually, Raul Castro said in an interview published Friday, his first public remarks since his ailing older brother temporarily handed him power last month. ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)
  • Castros brother: Cuba will stay communist
    ... HAVANA --Fidel Castro's brother said the Communist Party will remain in control of Cuba if there is a leadership change, ... Raul Castro, the island's defense minister and designated successor of his 79-year-old brother, dismissed claims that Cuba's political system would change dramatically after his brother is no longer president, saying the party would quickly fill any political vacuum. ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)
  • Raul Castro: Fidel is stronger, should be parliament candidate
    ... Fidel Castro remains on the mend, gaining weight, exercising twice a day and continuing to help make the Cuban government's top decisions, his brother Raul Castro says. ... But the younger Castro said his brother remains a key voice in government and that Communist Party leaders support his re-election to Cuba's parliament, the National Assembly - a move that could allow Fidel Castro to keep his post as president of the Council of State. ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)
  • Raul Castro: Communist Party will stay source of power post-Fidel
    ... brother Raul Castro said in comments published Thursday. ... 79-year-old Fidel Castro, dismissed claims that Cuba's political system ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)
  • Cuban regimes number-two official Raul Castro turns 75
    ... Raul Castro, the official political heir to Cuba's communist regime led by his brother Fidel, turned 75 Saturday with a flurry of glowing coverage in state-run media. ... Raul Castro leads the armed forces but is widely considered to lack the charisma that has helped keep his brother, who turns 80 in August, in power since 1959. ... Should Fidel Castro die before Raul, many analysts say the armed forces chief is likely to try to main political control. ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)