Cuba limits age for leadership

President Raul Castro yesterday asked future leaders of the Cuban Communist Party to retire at the age of 70 to allow a younger generation to take their place.

Cuban President Raul Castro. Photo: Reuters.

Cuba's leadership now includes a number of veterans in their 70s and 80s who fought in the revolution with former president Fidel Castro in 1959. Planning to ensure the Cuban Communist Party remains strong after they retire is increasingly urgent.

Cuban President Raul Castro, 84, plans to retire within two years and Cuba may be led by someone other than the Castro. He has asked future leaders of the Cuban Communist Party to step down at 70 to allow a younger generation to take over.

The request was made in a speech at the opening of the Cuban Communist Party congress, held every five years, and was met with silence.

"It's scary! The silence caused by this topic. Don't think that you can't do anything for the country if you're not in the leadership ranks," Reuters quoted President Raul as saying, suggesting that older people should continue to be party activists and spend more time with their children and grandchildren.

Chairman Raul said that those who want to join the party's central committee should not be older than 60 and the party leadership should be at a maximum of 70. This allows younger leaders to be promoted more quickly. "A 65- or 70-year-old person can still be useful in many important activities, but not in the activities of an important leader," he said.

President Raul stressed that other government agencies should also have similar age limits. He reaffirmed that he will step down from his leadership position in 2018.

Ahead of the congress, Cuba's Communist Party leadership faces dissatisfaction among younger party members over slow economic reforms and a lack of transparency.

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro, 90, who retired in 2008 after falling seriously ill and ceded power to his brother Raul, is proposing a two-term limit of five years for each leader. The rule would require party approval at a congress, followed by constitutional revisions and a referendum to codify it and other reforms.

The Cuban Communist Party will vote for a new leadership on April 18. Raul and the party's second-most powerful figure, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, 85, are expected to be re-elected, possibly because they are still in the leadership ranks and have not yet applied the new principles.

According to VNE