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CASTRO HANDS OVER POWER, TEMPORARILY, TO BROTHER
FIDEL CASTRO, WHILE UNDERGOING SURGERY FOR INTESTINAL BLEEDING, RELINQUISHED POWER TO HIS BROTHER, RAÚL 1 August 2006 After nearly 5 decades in power, Cuba's authoritarian leader Fidel Castro, has relinquished power to his brother and appointed succesor, Raúl Castro. His powers were delegated to his brother and to other officials through an official proclamation published by the state-run newspaper, Granma. The move is supposed to be temporary, as a means of providing for a transition should complications arise or recovery be lengthy, after his surgery to correct acute intestinal bleeding. Speculation immediately spread that the end is near, and there were reports of celebrations in the streets of Miami among exiled Cubans who oppose his rule. More than 1 million Cubans emigrated to Miami in the early 1960s amid economic conflict between the Cuban and US governments and a campaign of expropriation and political persecution against dissident individuals and uncooperative businesses in Cuba. Castro's brother, Raúl, designated successor under the structure of Cuba's constitution, is expected to be a pragmatic leader, but not a charismatic one. He was part of the guerrilla rebellion that brought the Communist party to power in Cuba and was a Marxist before his older brother, Fidel. Raúl is expected to maintain the system built by the Castro revolution, and to take steps to ensure that officials are devoted to his regime. Some observers have characterized Raúl as more radical ideologically than his brother. In past reshuffles of powerful posts, veteran political leaders and long-time Castro allies have been removed in favor of younger, more energetic loyalists. US officials speculate that a Raúl Castro government would need to build consensus and overcome some opposition. It is expected that a number of top government officials would begin to jockey for position in order to be designated Raúl's official succesor, with some reports of such attempts at mutual sabotage among leaders already occurring. Medical experts have offered opinions including the observation that such intestinal bleeding, as would require emergency surgery, could be fatal. But it is difficult to asses what type of bleeding it is or whether it might be likely minor or more dangerous, if it is not know what part of the intestines are bleeding and what symptoms surround the problem. Cuban exiles around the world have taken note of the news, and Miami's Little Havana, in particular, saw crowds gathering in the streets to celebrate the news that Fidel Castro might be experiencing serious health problems and could be, according to some analyses, near death. The mayor of Miami said that if news breaks that Fidel Castro has died, he will mobilize Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at a Phase Three Alert and call in the National Guard to assist in providing security, in case of overly large crowds, rioting or related problems. The EOC was already on Phase Two Alert and monitoring the security situation, as the streets filled with jubilant members of the Cuban community. At present, it is expected that Castro will recover power from his brother if his condition does not worsen and the surgery was successful. No official report has been released demonstrating his current state of health, and no specific timeline has been laid out for his return to power. It is not clear if the rise to power of a Raúl Castro regime would provoke a tightening of the US blockade against the island nation. But it is thought there would be some time allowed for moderating the system, lightening restrictions on individual freedoms and possibly pressure applied to encourage such moves. [s]
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