Cuban Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel (left) is likely to succeed Raul Castro (right) when he steps down as president in 2018. Also in this picture is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a conference at the University of Havana, Cuba Nov. 16, 2016. Photo: Enrique de la Osa/Reuters
The one constant in Cuba in the last six decades has been a Castro holding the reins of power. But with Friday’s death of Fidel and the fact his younger brother Raul is 85, attention is turning to the next generation of Cuban leaders.
Miguel Diaz-Canel, 55, currently serves as Raul Castro’s vice president and is his apparent successor. He has been working his way up the hierarchy for 30 years, first in provincial positions and then as minister of higher education. When he was 43, he became a member of the Politburo, the youngest ever. Most of the other members fought in the 1959 revolution.
An electrical engineer by trade and a Beatles fan, Diaz-Canel is a social media devotee, often posting pictures of himself and the younger Castro brother.
America’s Quarterly said in a profile last year Diaz-Canel generally keeps a low profile. He was born after the revolution and is a member of the reform wing of the party, more an experienced manager than ideologue. Unlike the Castros, he dresses in jeans and sports jackets, eschewing military fatigues.
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WNU Editor: I predicted this in 2013 .... The Next Leader Of Cuba? (February 25, 2013) .... and the comment I made in 2013 still stands.
