Cuba sets poll dates, Castro’s future in balance

By DPA

Havana : Cuba will hold new regional and national elections Jan 20, by when the country will know one of the island’s most closely guarded secrets: the political future of ailing President Fidel Castro.


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In order to continue as head of state of the country he has ruled for nearly half a century, Castro would need to be officially nominated for one of the 600 seats in the National Assembly, according to Cuban law in effect since 1976.

The 81-year-old revolutionary icon ceded his authority to his brother Raul in August 2006, when he underwent surgery for undisclosed ailments.

He has been slowly recovering since then, but is clearly in a debilitated state after the operations that even he called a “battle between life and death”.

Although he has remained outside the public eye, but for a few photographs and video clips, Castro has been active as a prolific editorialist commenting on international affairs.

It is unclear whether he will be elected to another parliamentary seat — and then to the 31-member Council of State which chooses the president — or if he will retire or take a senior advisory position.

But his political future should be known as soon as the candidate lists are complete.

The government announced Tuesday that new elections would be held Jan 20 for the provincial assemblies and National Assembly. All citizens 16 years of age and older are eligible to vote.

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