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Castro hands power to brother temporarily
Intestinal surgery sidelines 79-year-old Cuban president
Tuesday, August 1, 2006; Posted: 12:05 p.m. EDT (16:05 GMT)
In Miami, Florida, Cuban-Americans cheered and waved flags Tuesday, a day after Castro's announcement.
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Fidel Castro has temporarily handed over power to his brother Raul due to intestinal surgery, Cuban television reported, the first time the communist leader has ceded control of the island nation in 47 years.
Castro's secretary, Carlos Valenciaga, read a letter Monday night that he said was from the president announcing the news. In it, the Cuban leader said that stress had forced him into surgery and that he would be in bed for several weeks after the operation.
Castro, who has led Cuba since the 1959 revolution, turns 80 on August 13.
Raul Castro, 75, is the first vice president of the country and designated successor to his brother. He also assumes control over the armed forces and leadership of the Communist Party, according to the statement.
The news sparked celebration across the Straits of Florida in Miami, home to Cuban-American exiles for more than four decades since Fidel Castro's rise to power.
"This is a clear reminder that the end of the Castro regime is approaching, and that the only solution is free elections and the rule of law," U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Florida, told The Associated Press on Monday night.
The area's Cuban-American community of about 650,000 is the largest part of Florida's fast-growing Hispanic population, with its influence felt across the state, according to the AP.
"My first reaction was disbelief. My second reaction was hope," the AP quoted Armando Tellez as he watched hundreds of cars clogging the streets of Hialeah, a Miami suburb. "This is a singular event in Cuba's history because there has never been anything that has given the people so much hope."
Among the cheering crowds waving Cuban flags late Monday and early Tuesday was a group dressed as migrants with life jackets, pretending to paddle a cardboard boat down Little Havana's Calle Ocho -- recalling the desperate journey many exiles have taken over the sea, the AP reported.
As the revelry pushed into the early hours, Miami's roads were gridlocked with honking cars, prompting fears of headaches for the morning rush-hour commute.
"It is a cause for celebration," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, while asking residents to show some restraint and keep traffic flowing throughout the city. "We certainly don't want to hinder in any way, shape or form ... the enthusiasm we all feel."
Last week, Fidel Castro joked that he had no plans to still hold power when he turns 100, Reuters reported. (Full story)
Hours ahead of the announcement of Castro's illness, President Bush called the Cuban's government a "tyrannical regime" in an interview with a Miami TV station.
"Our objective is to free the Cuban people," the president told WPLG. "That's our objective."
The administration took a more measured approach to Havana's announcement.
"The White House is monitoring the situation. We cannot speculate on Fidel Castro's health," spokesman Peter Watkins said. "We continue to work for the day of Cuba's freedom."
The transfer of power in Cuba has not triggered a response from the U.S. Coast Guard, which monitors the Straits of Florida for refugees fleeing the island.
"We have no indications that there is any need to implement plans for mass migration," said Cmdr. Jeff Carter.
The Coast Guard has a long-standing plan to deal with a mass exodus, which includes moving additional cutters and aircraft to the area to deter migrants and also perform search-and-rescue missions.
Increasing U.S.-Cuba tensions
Castro's surgery came weeks after a U.S. government report called for the United States to have assistance in Cuba within weeks of the communist leader's death to support a transitional government and help move the country toward democracy. (Full story)
The United States and Cuba, which have no formal diplomatic relations, are constantly at odds, but tensions between the two countries have increased in the past year.
This month, the Cuban government cut off electricity to the U.S. interests section in the capital. The U.S. State Department said requests to have the power restored went unanswered for days.
The department accused Cuba of engaging in "bully tactics" to thwart pro-democracy efforts.
The Bush administration already has tightened the four-decades-old U.S. embargo of the island, increased Radio Marti news broadcasts into Cuba, curtailed visits home by Cuban-Americans and limited the amount of money they can send to relatives.
Rise to power
Castro led an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1953, after which he was sentenced to 15 years in prison alongside his brother Raul.
They were released less than two years later as part of an amnesty for political prisoners, and both went into exile in Mexico and the United States.
In Mexico, they met the Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara and organized a group of Cuban exiles into a new guerilla group.
After a near disastrous landing in Cuba, the remnants of the group -- including the Castros and Guevara -- fled to the Sierra Maestra Mountains, from which they waged a guerrilla war against the Batista government.
Castro's forces succeeded in overthrowing the regime on January 1, 1959. The next day, Manuel Urrutia was named president and Jose Miro Cardona was appointed vice president. Six weeks later, Fidel Castro took over as prime minister.
Urrutia resigned in July 1959, and Castro completed his rise to power in Cuba, which became the first communist country in the Western Hemisphere.
CNN's Shasta Darlington and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report.
Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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