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Raúl Castro

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This article is about the Cuban politician. For the former Governor of Arizona and United States Ambassador, see Raúl Héctor Castro.
Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz
File:Raúl Catsro.JPG
President of Cuba
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 24 2008
Acting from July 31 2006
Vice PresidentFirst Vice President:
José Ramón Machado Ventura
Other Vice Presidents:
Juan Almeida Bosque
Julio Casas Regueiro
Esteban Lazo
Carlos Lage Dávila
Abelardo Colomé
Preceded byFidel Castro
First Vice President of Cuba
In office
December 2, 1976 – February 24, 2008
Succeeded byJosé Machado Ventura
Personal details
Born (1931-06-03) June 3, 1931 (age 93)
Birán, Holguín, Cuba
Political partyPCC
SpouseVilma Espín (1959 – 2007; widowed)

Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz (born June 3, 1931) is the President of Cuba (legally: President of the Cuban Council of State).[1][2] The younger brother of Fidel Castro, he is also Acting First Secretary/Second Secretary of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), and Commander in Chief (Maximum General) of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, and Air Force).

On July 31, 2006, Raúl Castro assumed the duties of President of the Council of State in a temporary transfer of power due to Fidel Castro's illness. According to the Cuban Constitution Article 94, the First Vice President of the Council of State assumes presidential duties upon the illness or death of the president.

Raúl Castro was elected President at the 24 February, 2008 National Assembly session, as Fidel Castro had announced his intention not to stand for President again on 18 February, 2008.[1][3]

Pre-1959

Son of Spanish immigrant Ángel Castro and Lina Ruz, a Cuban woman of Galician ancestry, Raúl is the youngest of the three Castro brothers. He also has four sisters, Angela, Juanita Castro, Enma, and Agustina, and two half siblings, Lidia and Pedro Emilio, who were raised by Ángel Castro's first wife. Persistent rumors supported by former CIA analyst Brian Latell are taken to suggest that Batista army loyalist Felipe Miraval, nicknamed "el Chino" is Raul's, but not Fidel's, father.[4] As youngsters, the Castro brothers were expelled from the first school they attended. Like Fidel, Raúl later attended the Jesuit School of Colegio Dolores in Santiago and Colegio Belén in Havana. Raúl, as an undergraduate, studied social sciences. Whereas Fidel excelled as a student, Raúl's performance was mostly mediocre.[5] Raúl was a committed socialist and joined the Socialist Youth, an affiliate of the Soviet-oriented Cuban Communist Party, the Partido Socialista Popular (PSP).[6] The brothers participated actively in sometimes violent student political actions.[7] In 1953, Raúl was a member of the 26th of July Movement which attacked the Moncada Barracks and spent 22 months in prison as a result of this action.[8] During his exile in Mexico, he participated in the preparations of the expedition of the ship Granma, embarking for Cuba on December 2, 1956.

It was during the period in Mexico that Raúl reportedly befriended Ernesto "Ché" Guevara in Mexico City and brought him into Fidel's circle of revolutionaries. Raúl also established contact with Soviet KGB agent Nikolai Leonov, whom he had met two years earlier during a trip to the Soviet-bloc nations. That relationship would persist until the Castro brothers successfully assumed power in Cuba.[6]

As a combatant of the Rebel Army he took part in the campaign of the Sierra Maestra mountain range and, on February 27 1958, was made comandante and assigned the mission to cross the old province of Oriente leading a column of guerrillas to open, to the northeast of that territory, the "Eastern front Frank País." He was responsible for overseeing the summary execution of "scores" of soldiers loyal to deposed Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista.[9]

Post-1959

Raúl Castro Ruz was a member of the National Leadership of the Integrated Revolutionary PO Organizations (established July 1961; dissolved March 1962) and of the United Party of the Socialist Revolution of Cuba (established March 1962; dissolved October 1965). He has been a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Second Secretary of its Politburo since the Party's formation in October 1965; also, the First Vice President of the Cuban Council of State, of the National Assembly of the Popular Power and of the Council of Ministers since these were created in 1976. He was appointed Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces when the Ministry was founded in October 1959 and has served in that capacity ever since; he is also the nation's highest ranking general. Castro is credited with persuading his older brother to implement agricultural market reforms in the early 1990s which increased the food supply, after the Soviet Union fell and its generous subsidies to Cuba stopped.

Public persona and personal life

File:Raul Castro y Hugo Chavez.jpg
Raúl Castro shakes hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez

A few weeks after the 1959 victory, Castro married Vilma Espín Guillois, a former MIT chemical engineering student and veteran of the revolution who in 1960 became president of the Cuban Federation of Women.[10] They have three daughters (Déborah, Mariela and Nilsa) and one son (Alejandro).[11] Their daughter Mariela currently heads the Cuban National Center for Sex Education. Espín died on June 18, 2007.

In an interview in 2006, following his assumption of presidential duties, Raúl Castro commented on his public profile stating: "I am not used to making frequent appearances in public, except at times when it is required … I have always been discreet, that is my way, and in passing I will clarify that I am thinking of continuing in that way."[12]

Political history

Raúl Castro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

He attended school first in Santiago and then in Havana, where as a university undergraduate he joined a communist youth group.

In 1953, he took part with Fidel in the assault on the Moncada Barracks, in an attempt to oust the authoritarian regime of Fulgencio Batista.

But the assault failed, and Raul served 22 months in jail alongside his brother. In 1955, the two were released, and went to Mexico to prepare the ship Granma for a revolutionary expedition to Cuba in late 1956. During this time, Raúl is said to have befriended Che Guevara, introducing him to Fidel. Upon their arrival back in Cuba, the band of revolutionaries conducted a guerrilla warfare campaign from the Sierra Maestra mountains, finally overthrowing Batista in early 1959.

Raúl Castro was described as a long-term "special unofficial contact" cooperating with the KGB since the Nikita Khrushchev era by Sergei Tretyakov, a Russian defector.[13]

As well as being defence minister and first vice-president of the Council of State - the constitutional successor to Fidel - Raúl Castro was vice-secretary of the Politburo and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. He is also reported to have influenced financial policy from behind the scenes.

Prior to assuming the presidency, he had indicated that a collective leadership would most likely govern Cuba following his brother's death.[citation needed]

Assumption of presidential duties

See also: 2006 Cuban transfer of duties

On July 31, 2006, Fidel Castro's personal secretary Carlos Valenciaga announced on state-run television that Fidel Castro would provisionally hand over the duties of President of the Council of State of Cuba, First Secretary of the Communist Party and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to Raúl Castro while Fidel underwent and recovered from intestinal surgery to repair gastrointestinal bleeding.[14][15]

Most commentators consider Raúl Castro to be a political hardliner who will maintain the Communist Party of Cuba's political power at all costs. There are some who believe that he is more pragmatic than his older brother and more willing to institute free market-oriented economic policies. It is speculated that he favours a variant of the current Chinese political and economic model for Cuba in the hopes of preserving some elements of the socialist system.[9] However, none of these speculations has ever been confirmed by Raúl himself.

Several commentators, including some authors of The Wall Street Journal, call Castro "uncharismatic and widely feared," with a "cold efficien[t]" style. He is accused of the persecution of dissidents and homosexuals.[5] Additionally, some have speculated about Raúl's ill health, specifically alcoholism, raising doubts about his future leadership.[16]

Raúl, considered much less charismatic than his brother Fidel Castro, has remained largely out of public view during the transfer of duty period.[17] His few public appearances included hosting a gathering of leaders of the Non-Aligned nations in September 2006, and leading the national commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Granma boat landing, which also became Fidel's belated 80th birthday celebrations.[18][19][20]

In a speech to university students, Raúl stated that a communist system in Cuba would remain, and that "Fidel is irreplaceable, unless we all replace him together."[21]

On May 1, 2007, Raúl presided over the May Day celebrations in Havana. According to Granma the crowd reached over one million participants, with delegations from over 225 organizations and 52 countries.[22]

While Fidel Castro historically mesmerized his countrymen with dramatic, extemporaneous speeches stretching over hours, brother Raul is known for his businesslike, even boring delivery, rarely bothering to look up from prepared texts. So Raúl offers, after the resignation of his brother Fidel, announced February 19 2008, a quieter Castro voice.[23]

On February 24, 2008, Cuba's parliament elected Raúl president of Cuba. Raúl delivered his inaugural address shortly afterward.[24]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Fidel Castro announces retirement". BBC News. 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Raul Castro named Cuban president". BBC News. 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Fidel Castro will step down after 50 years at Cuba's helm". miamiherald.com. 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2008-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ a b José de Córdoba, David Luhnow and Bob Davis (2006-8-2). "Castro's Illness Opens Window On Cuba Transition". Wall Street Journal. pp. 1, 12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ a b Miguel A. Faria Jr. (2001-08-15). "Who is Raúl Castro? (Part I)". NewsMax.com. Retrieved 2006-08-05.
  7. ^ "Revolutionary Firing Squads". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  8. ^ [2]
  9. ^ a b Tim Padgett and Dolly Mascarenas (2006-08-02). "Why Raul Castro Could End Up a Reformer". Time. Retrieved 2006-08-05.
  10. ^ "TIME magazine Milestones". Time Magazine. 1959-02-09. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
  11. ^ "Raúl Castro". Miami Herald. 2006-08-01. Retrieved 2006-08-05.
  12. ^ "The Fidel Castro mystery - Sentinel & Enterprise". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  13. ^ Pete Earley, "Comrade J: The Untold Secrets of Russia's Master Spy in America After the End of the Cold War", Penguin Books, 2007, ISBN-13 978-0-399-15439-3, page 179
  14. ^ Phillip Hart (2006-07-30). "From Castro to Castro". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-08-05.
  15. ^ "Fidel Castro Says Health Stable in Statement Read on State Television". FoxNews.com. 2006-08-01. Retrieved 2006-08-05.
  16. ^ Carlos Alberto Montaner (January/February 2007). "Communism Has Failed Cuba". Foreign Policy. p. 56. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Castro recovering and giving orders: Chavez". Reuters. 2006-09-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ NPR "Weekend Edition, Saturday", report of Gary Marx, December 2, 2006 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6569909
  19. ^ "Raul Castro greets Chavez on Fidel's 80th birthday". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  20. ^ "page not found". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help); Text "miami.com" ignored (help)
  21. ^ "Raul Castro 'not imitating Fidel'". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  22. ^ "granma.cu - Millions of Cubans demand imprisonment for terrorist Posada Carriles". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  23. ^ Raul offers Cuba a quieter Castro voice "Raul offers Cuba a quieter Castro voice - CNN.com". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-20. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  24. ^ "Raul Castro Becomes Cuba's Leader - Associated Press". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
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Political offices
Preceded by President of Cuba
Acting until 2008
2006 – present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
New title
 First Vice President of Cuba
1976 – 2008 		Succeeded by
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