President Raul Castro is about to leave office, who will lead Cuba?

Several faces are expected to become Cuba's next leader after President Raul Castro steps down in April next year.

Cuban President Raul Castro. Photo: AFP

The Cuban National Assembly yesterday, December 21, approved a proposal to extend the transition of power from the old leadership by 2 months, which means that the election of the new President and Vice President will take place in April 2018. Previously, President of the State Council Raul Castro, 86 years old, announced that he would leave Cuban politics on February 24, 2018, after two 5-year terms.

Cuba's Council of State said the extension of the previous leadership's term stemmed from Cuba's "exceptional situation" after the country suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Irma in September. Meanwhile, Granma, the official newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party, also reported that the decision to postpone the general election to April was related to the recovery from Hurricane Irma.

However, according to some experts, Hurricane Irma is not the only reason for Cuba's decision to extend the election. Instead, experts have pointed to a number of other reasons related to the current situation in Cuba, such as the economic recession, the increasingly deteriorating relationship between the US and Cuba after President Donald Trump took office, as well as the diplomatic crisis related to the alleged sonic attacks on US diplomats in Havana.

President Raul Castro has repeatedly expressed his intention to resign, partly because of his age. President Raul Castro took over from his brother, the late leader Fidel Castro, in 2008.

Successor Leadership

President Raul Castro sits next to Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel at a parliamentary session in Havana on December 21 (Photo: Reuters)

Before the Cuban elections next year, experts have identified a number of bright faces who are expected to replace President Raul Castro, including Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel. During a recent National Assembly session in Havana, Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel was seen sitting next to President Raul Castro - who has given many compliments to his deputy.

“Comrade Diaz-Canel is not an upstart. His career spans almost 30 years,” President Castro said in 2013 when he first announced his retirement plans.

Mr. Diaz-Canel, 57, is not part of Cuba’s revolutionary elders. He projects a younger, more modern image than the leaders who have ruled the Caribbean island for years.

Mr Diaz-Canel is said to enjoy rock 'n' roll, which was banned in Cuba in the early days of the revolution, and is often seen reading information from a tablet during government meetings.

But if Cubans want a more moderate leader, Diaz-Canel is not the right choice. A secretly leaked video this summer showed the Cuban vice president advocating hard-line positions in a closed-door government meeting.

In the video, Mr. Diaz-Canel is seen scolding a group of Cubans for celebrating Halloween in imitation of the United States. He also threatened to close a private newspaper and has taken a hard line against Washington.

Some sources say that President Raul Castro may choose his son, Colonel Alejandro Castro Espín, to take over from his father. However, this possibility is unlikely to happen. President Raul's daughter, Mariela Castro, said earlier this year that she would never run for the Cuban presidency and that no member of the Castro family would continue to hold the position.

According to Dan Tri