Who is cubas leader

Between them, the two brothers have ruled Cuba since the revolution which overthrew the authoritarian ruler Gen Fulgencio Batista. President Diaz-Canel has shown himself as loyal to the Castro-model of state socialism in Cuba and - as Cuba's president - has only allowed a very limited expansion of the private sector, in line with his predecessor's wishes. Given the bleak economic outlook, however, Mr Diaz-Canel may well have to further liberalise the centrally controlled economy in the very near future.

Fidel Castro was the country's leader from He fell ill in and two years later he formally handed over the presidency to his brother. He began his political career in his early 20s as a member of the Young Communist League in Santa Clara, a city dominated by the mausoleum of Che Guevara, who fought alongside the Castros in the Cuban revolution.

He worked his way up through the ranks and became minister of higher education in He has impressed Cubans as personable on Mesa Redonda, the round table that is broadcast to the nation and that has been an important source of news during the coronavirus pandemic. This corresponds with his insistence that he represents continuity rather than any break with the past.

There was a domestic plane crash that killed and a tornado strike in Havana that killed six and injured He faced criticism for not coming across as empathetic as Fidel, an admittedly high benchmark to meet. There are efforts to humanise the new leader. Only one question was left unanswered: what will he do now that he controls the levers of power in the Cuban state? By Ruaridh Nicoll. Published On 19 Apr They [protesters] have to go over our dead bodies if they want to confront the revolution.

But the outburst of anger in so many different locations, with many chanting "Freedom! He studied electrical engineering and began his political career in his early 20s as a member of the Young Communist League in Santa Clara, a city which was the site of the last battle in the Cuban Revolution and which to this day is dominated by the Che Guevara Mausoleum.

While teaching engineering at the local university, he worked his way up the ranks of the Young Communist League, becoming its second secretary at the age of He also played a key role in the Communist Party in his native province of Villa Clara.

During his time at the helm of the provincial government, it was said to have enjoyed more freedoms than other parts of the country.

Rock concerts that would have been banned elsewhere went ahead, locals say, and since the city has been the home of one of Cuba's most famous LGBT cultural centres, El Mejunje.