Cuba Has New President but Castro Legacy to Continue

Miguel Diaz-Canel

The news around the world on Thursday was the installation of the new Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. He became Cuba’s first leader sans the Castro surname in over fifty years. Diaz-Canel served as Vice-President of the island nation since 2013 under Raul Castro. He was picked to ascend to the presidency as Castro steps down. The new president promises to modernize the economy and help the Cuban people, but at the same time pledged to maintain the country’s socialist values. In his speech on Thursday, he said there would be no “capitalist restoration and ended off saying, “Socialism or Death! We will triumph!” Diaz-Canel’s installation is a historic one for Cuba and today the Cuban Ambassador to Belize said that the people are proud to see the Castro legacy continue through its new leader.

Lissette Perez

Lissette Perez, Ambassador of Cuba to Belize

“This is a symbolic moment because this is a man – his name is Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez and this is a man that was born after the Revolution. He was born a year after the Revolution. It means this is a new generation of Cubans and at the same time embodies the principle of our founding fathers – the principle of Fidel and Raul. Of course, we are very excited because we see in Cuba the continuity of the revolutionary process, the continuity of the legacy of our leaders. We believe, we strongly believe that we will continue improving our society, trying to update our economic and social model but at the same time trying to preserve our social achievement that with a lot of sacrifice has been done in sixty years. He said, “I do not come to promise anything. I come to deliver the commitment to work and the commitment to demand.” It means that it will continue the way that is already being done. It is in accordance with our achievement, not break anything and try to continue to be better, more efficient and try to demand from the institutions and different level of the society to increase our efficiency in the economy and other sectors of the society.”