HAVANA -(AP)- [1]An ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he will not accept a new term when the new parliament meets Sunday.”I will not aspire to nor accept – I repeat, I will not aspire to nor accept – the post of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief,” read a letter signed by Castro published early Tuesday in the online edition of the Communist Party daily Granma.The announcement effectively ends the rule of the 81-year-old Castro after almost 50 years, positioning his 76-year-old brother Raul for permanent succession to the presidency. Fidel Castro temporarily ceded his powers to his brother on July 31, 2006, when he announced that he had undergone intestinal surgery.
Assuming we’d not had at least a year and a half of this dance of death from him (July ’06 as I recall) this might actually be earthshaking news. As it is, this is progressing about the way you’d expect it to.
I find the choice of words in this article, as regards Raul taking power… “permanent succession” to be mildly amusing, given that Raul is 76, and appointments at that age tend to be not so very “permanent”.
Cuba’s going to be at the Crossroads shortly.