In Cuba's National Assembly, Raúl Castro marks last moments of his family's rule

HAVANA — Cuba’s National Assembly opened a historic session Wednesday that will shift power outside the Castro family for the first time since communist forces swept to victory almost 60 years ago.

The official Granma news service said the 605 assembly members would vote for the new president of the council of state — effectively Cuba’s top job. In an unusual twist, the name will be held in reserve and announced on Thursday. Typically, the succession in Cuba happens in one day.

At the start of the session, President Raúl Castro, in a dark suit and red tie, entered the legislative hall to thunderous applause. Alongside Castro was his first vice president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is tipped to replace him as Cuba’s first leader outside the Castro family since the ousted of a U.S.-backed government in 1959.

The departure of Raúl Castro, 86, who took over Cuba’s leadership from his elder brother Fidel Castro in 2008, is not expected to lead to radical change.

Raúl Castro will remain head of the powerful Communist Party here. And Diaz-Canel, the 57-year old poised to succeed Castro, is a longtime Communist Party stalwart viewed as a carefully groomed successor at a time when Cuba is facing important questions that include its new and complicated diplomatic and economic openings with the United States.

Nevertheless, the changing of the guard is seen as a landmark moment for a country that is seeking to solidify its one-party system for years to come.

[The end of an era, Cuban style]

In addition to naming a new president, the assembly was set to renew the 23 members of the ruling council of state. Cuba watchers were keen to see whether elderly, arch-conservative members who remain in place, or exit the stage with Castro.

Fidel Castro, before his death in 2016, had sought to stop the creation of a personality cult, forbidding statues or street names minted in his name. In perhaps a nod to that request, Cuba’s official press was largely devoid of ponderous coverage reflecting on the Castro family ceding power, and focused instead on the technical aspects of the transition. The website of Juventude Rebelde simply showed the Cuban flag as a guidepost, with all roads leading to socialism.

The landmark assembly session was broadcast live on Cuban national television and radio. For some elderly Cubans, the dawn of an era without a Castro in Cuba’s top job seemed almost unimaginable.

Giraldo Baez, a 78-year-old former factory administrator, said he first remembers hearing the name Fidel Castro on the radio in 1950s. “I heard in other radios around our house, because we were too poor to have one,” he said.

For six decades, he said, he was a loyal “Fidelista and Raulista” — a constant backer of both brothers’ rule.

[Opinion: Cuba without the Castros]

“For me, not having a Fidel or Raul, it’s almost impossible to conceive of. It’s almost out of my realm of understanding. But even as they go, I feel we still need to follow their ideas,” Baez said.

“We do need change,” he said. “The state cannot operate all commerce and trade. The new generation of leaders has our future in their hands, and I have confidence in them.”

On Havana’s President’s Avenue, lined with statues of Latin America leaders, a 22-year-old veterinarian sat with her friend, a 44-year-old housewife.

“Things are bad, and we need change, but nothing will change,” said the 44-year-old, who declined to give her name out of concern that her comments could be seen by the government. “You go to the store, either you can’t find food or the prices are too high … The one coming in is the same as the one leaving. Like I said, nothing is going to change.”

Her younger friend chimed in: “You go the market, and you can’t find chopped meat. You can’t find anything. And this new person isn’t going to help with that.”

Some Cubans, however, harbored cautious optimism that a new generation of leaders would somehow be less tethered to Cuba’s past, and more focused on its future.

“For us, this is like trying to imagine a new color, one that you haven’t seen before,” said Charlie, a 22-year-old Havana DJ.

“We don’t want capitalism. That won’t work for us,” he said. “But what we want is something that we haven’t seen yet. All I can do is hope that since Diaz-Canel is younger, and knows the people, that he understands what we need and is willing to deliver. We know it’s going to take time. No one is expecting change overnight.”

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