 HAVANA (AP) - Raul Castro - not his convalescing 80-year-old brother Fidel - will give this week's Revolution Day address, the latest sign the defense minister's yearlong caretaker role is becoming much more permanent.
| At least it will be a shorter speech. |
| It's hard to stand on the podium with one foot in the grave. |
The announcement Wednesday on the front page of the Communist Party daily Granma doused the few remaining hopes among Fidel Castro's ardent supporters he could make a surprise appearance during Thursday's Revolution Day celebrations.
Even though Raul appears headed for permanent rule, the two brothers' longer-term roles officially remain undefined. Manuel Cuesta Morua, a historian and moderate dissident, said clarity may not come until early next year, when voters are expected to elect National Assembly deputies who will then chose the executive governing body known as the Council of State. Fidel officially still holds the council presidency. "Raul Castro needs institutional stability" to govern into the future, Cuesta Morua said. |