Cuba's National Assembly chose Miguel Diaz-Canel as the country's new president on Thursday.
Diaz-Canel takes over the presidency from Raul Castro, who has been leading Cuba for
the past 12 years, ever since his legendary brother Fidel stepped down in 2006.
Political power in Cuba is now passing to a new generation of Cubans who were born after
the 1959 revolution.
Miguel Diaz-Canel is relatively unknown, but has been vice president of Cuba for the past
five years.
Back in the 1990s when he was the first secretary of the Communist Party in Villa Clara province,
he was known as being approachable , and promoted LGBT rights before it became official policy.
He was a true visionary because he supported "El Mejunje," [a gay and LGBT center in Santa
Clara].
It is almost an obligation to support such rights, but he supported it back then.
He had a lot of innovative ideas, like giving a space to an LGBT community that was rather
marginalized.
It was the first area on which such an approach was taken [by the authorities] instead of
segregating such community, he integrated it to our social and cultural life.
The new president of the Council the State and Ministers of Cuba, it's a person that
has a very long territory in the Cuban revolution.
He was a leader of the Young Communist League.
He was a leader in the student organizations.
After that he was a teacher, a professor in the University of Las Villas, and also was
a leader in the party in different provinces of Cuba, in Villa Clara and in Holguin.
In both provinces he developed very outstanding work.
And after that he was a minister of higher education in Cuba, and in recent years he
was nominated as first vice president of the government of Cuba.
But Cuba was going through a difficult time at the moment.
The country that ever since the revolution has been the hemisphere's most equal country
is now going through a period of rising inequality, mainly because of Raul Castro's economic liberalization
reforms.
The biggest challenge that Diaz-Canel is going to be dealing with is the Cuban economy.
The Cuban economy is in the doldrums.
It has suffered many shocks over, some very huge, major shocks and minor shocks over the
last 25 years.
Also, President Trump's policy of reversing President Obama's economic opening towards
Cuba has significantly reduced U.S. tourism to the island, which is a very important source
of income for Cuba.
I think the biggest challenge of the Cubans is to face a very cruel and crazy policy of
the United States.
I think we need to to develop our country, develop our economy.
But in the framework of a criminal blockade that have been imposed against Cuba since
almost 60 years.
It's very difficult to, to, to advance, and I think to conduct the Cuban revolution and
the Cuban economy in that in that environment.
It will be one of the challenges.
The biggest challenge that, that Miguel Diaz-Canel will have.
But I'm sure, I'm sure if in 60 years the different government of United States have
not been able to defeat the Cuban revolution, I am sure that with the new president the
situation will continue, because we are not going to, we're not going to surrender our
flags.
It is unclear which way Diaz-Canel will take Cuba in the post-Castro era, but until now
he has shown himself to be a loyal follower of Raul Castro.
However, followers of Fidel Castro's more egalitarian approach remain in office, and
could still play a role, according to Professor Elizabeth Dore.
I think the big issue in Cuba right now has been, is, the struggle within the Communist
Party.
That is a struggle that, to sort of put it in simple terms, or slogans, between Fidelistas
who want to hold on to as much egalitarianism as possible, and Raulistas who, actually Raul
Castro has denounced egalitarianism as a romantic idea but unworkable for the future of Cuba.
And Raul Castro has introduced some significant economic changes in the direction of the market,
in the direction of allowing small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to function.
No matter which faction wins out, it is clear that the Cuban government remains committed
to maintaining some form of independent socialism in Cuba.
I believe that that Miguel Diaz-Canel, the new president of the Council of the State,
will continue to the lines, along the lines of Fidel, along the lines of Raul.
Because I think that we are just arriving at the very beginning of a process in which
the older generations that made revolution passed the flag to the new generations.
But it doesn't mean that we are going to abandon the, the line of independence, of serenity.
As long as Cuba remains on this course, though, it will continue to confront both the dominance
of the United States and the Western Hemisphere, and the almost impossible challenge of maintaining
a different economic system in a global neoliberal capitalist context.
Greg Wilpert for the Real News Network.