Castro Issues Statement Hinting at Possible Retirement

Fidel Castro may not be handling the reins of government in Cuba for much longer. In an address broadcast on Cuba’s state-owned television, Mr. Castro read out a statement to the effect he was agreeable to letting a younger generation take charge of administration in Cuba.

In his address, the 81-year old Mr. Castro said, “My basic duty is not to cling to office, nor even more so, to obstruct the rise of people much younger, but to pass on experiences and ideas whose modest value arises from the exceptional era in which I lived.”

Mr. Castro has been in recovery since he underwent abdominal surgery 16 months ago. At that time, he had handed over charge of Cuba’s administration to 76-year old brother Raul, the defense minister in Mr. Castro’s government and also his designated successor. Since then, he has been basically occupying an honorary role and has sent out a number of commentaries during this time.

However, none of these commentaries has actually dealt with his role in Cuban government as President, a role he has played successfully for close to 50 years. Word in Havana recently has centered on the possibility of Mr. Castro coming back to full-time work.

This line of thought seemed to be accurate when news got out that Mr. Castro’s health had improved, and his candidature for the next National Assembly elections received official sanction on December 2. This is a vital step, as the National Assembly meets again in March to select a Council of State comprising 31 members. This Council would then choose the next president of Cuba.

Mr. Castro’s nomination to the Assembly seemed to be a direct indication that he was not intending to retire and hand over control of administration on a permanent basis to brother Raul, since a president can be selected from only among the members of the Assembly.

The question of Mr. Castro’s role in Cuban politics in the coming times is a touchy issue, considering he has been literally running the show single-handed all these years. According to analysts, it is not for others to decide his future in the country’s administration; that is something only he can decide.

Analysts say it is for Mr. Castro to decide if he wants to stay as president of Cuba or not. Given that scenario, others in the administration, including brother Raul, have taken care not to put him under pressure to hand over charge of the government even though he suffers from ill-health.

Mr. Castro’s latest televised address, which aired as part of ‘Round Table’, a nightly discussion program, however, gave no indication of whether his willingness to let younger Cubans take charge was merely hypothetical, or if he had an actual plan in place to handle the transition phase. There was no mention of anyone as a possible successor.