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Fidel Castro resigns Cuban presidency after nearly half-century in power
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 19 - 02 - 2008


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, AP reported
«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.
Since then, the elder Castro has not been seen in public,
appearing only sporadically in official photographs and
videotapes and publishing dense essays about mostly
international themes as his younger brother has
consolidated his rule.
A new National Assembly was elected in January, and will
meet for the first time Sunday to pick the governing
Council of State, including the presidency that Fidel
Castro has held for decades. There had been wide
speculation about whether he would continue in that role.
«My wishes have always been to discharge my duties to my
last breath. That's all I can offer,» Castro wrote. But,
he continued, «it would be a betrayal to my conscience to
accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and
dedication than I am physically able to offer. This I say
devoid of all drama.»
Castro said Cuban officials had wanted him to remain in
power after his surgery. «It was an uncomfortable
situation for me vis-a-vis an adversary that had done
everything possible to get rid of me, and I felt reluctant
to comply,» he said in a reference to the United States.
Castro's resignation opens the path for Raul's succession
to the presidency, and the full autonomy he has lacked in
leading a caretaker government. The younger Castro has
raised expectations among Cubans for modest economic and
other reforms, stating last year that the country requires
unspecified «structural changes» and acknowledging that
government wages that average about US$19 (¤13) a month do
not satisfy basic needs.


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