Fidel Castro's Brother Named Cuba's President

World | February 25, 2008, Monday // 00:00
Fidel Castro's Brother Named Cuba's President Cuba's National Assembly named Raul Castro (pictured) president, ending on Sunday nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel. Photo by CNN

Cuba's National Assembly named Raul Castro president, ending on Sunday nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel.

The retirement of ailing Fidel Castro, 81, caps a career in which he frustrated efforts by 10 US presidents to oust him, and Raul Castro stressed that his brother remained "commander in chief" even if he was not president, CNN reported.

Officials bypassed younger candidates to name a 77-year-old revolutionary leader Jose Ramon Machado to Cuba's number two, reassuring no significant political changes would be made soon.

The lawmakers' selection came five days after the elder Castro announced his resignation in a letter published in the state-run newspaper Granma.

In the letter he cited his "critical health condition" and said, "It would be a betrayal to my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I am physically able to offer."

Raul Castro, 76, who was the country's longtime defense minister, earned a reputation for being ruthless with his enemies in the early years of the Cuban Communist revolution. Videos show him making impassioned speeches before the Cuban people but even before his brother announced his retirement, Raul Castro said Fidel would be a hard act to follow.

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