Cuban President Fidel Castro Ruz transferred power to his younger brother Raúl on Monday night, July 31, after doctors said he needed surgery to stop intestinal bleeding. In a letter read by his secretary, Carlos Valenciaga, on Cuban national television, the 79-year-old Fidel announced that because of ''an intestinal crisis'' he would temporarily relinquish the presidency to his 75-year-old brother, who serves as Cuba's defense minister. "The operation obliges me to spend several weeks in repose, away from my responsibilities and duties," Fidel's statement, as read by Valenciaga, said. "Because our country is threatened in these circumstances by the government of the United States, I . . . delegate, on a provisional basis, my functions as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba upon the Second Secretary, comrade Raúl Castro Ruz."
Keep reading for free
Already a subscriber? Log in here .
Get instant access to the rest of this article by creating a free account below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:
Subscribe for an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review
- Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
- Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
- The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.