Cuba appoints its first prime minister in 40 years, a position last held by Fidel Castro
- The position was held by Fidel Castro from 1959 to 1976, when a new constitution changed his title to president and eliminated the PM post
- Manuel Marrero has been tourism minister for 16 years, presiding over a rise in visitors and a hotel construction boom
Cuba’s first prime minister in more than four decades- long-serving tourism minister Manuel Marrero - took office Saturday as the country resurrected a post last held by Fidel Castro.
The appointment of Marrero, 56, as head of government is part of a process of decentralisation and generational change from the revolutionary old guard that is aimed at extending and protecting Communist Party rule.
“This proposal was duly approved by the political bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba,” President Miguel Diaz-Canel said, presenting it to the country’s National Assembly, which unanimously signed off.
Immediately after his presentation, Marrero received a handshake from former president Raul Castro, the leader of the Communist Party.
Marrero “is not coming to the job to transform, but rather to implement and manage. The president is the one who leads,” said Cuba specialist Arturo Lopez-Levy of Holy Names University in California.