Cuba vote opens final chapter of Castro era
11 MAR 2018
Cubans vote to ratify a new National Assembly on Sunday, a key step in a process leading to the election of a new president, the first in nearly 60 years from outside the Castro family.
The new members of the National Assembly will be tasked with choosing a successor to 86-year-old President Raul Castro when he steps down next month.
As voting was about to begin, however, the foreign ministry issued a statement insisting that even without a Castro as president the Cuban revolution they led will endure into the next generation.
"Some hear siren songs and announce the end of the 'Castro era,'" it said on Twitter. "The next president will not have that surname. But without a doubt, it will be a son of the Revolution."
Raul took over in 2006 from his ailing brother Fidel, who had governed since seizing power during the 1959 revolution.
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https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/cuba-vote-opens-final-chapter-castro-era-doc-12b7et2
