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July 5, 2008 8:47:24 AM CDT

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Don't Expect Another Cuban Revolution

Posted Feb 25, 08 2:45 PM CST in World    Most Covered

(Newser) – You won't see him wearing fatigues and making fiery speeches, but Raul Castro is expected to hew closely to brother Fidel's line. Cuba's new president is a pragmatic military man who lacks his brother's charisma and ego, the New York Times reports. Fidel is still party leader, and 31 Castro allies were reelected in uncontested races to top government positions along with him.

Raul said yesterday the bureaucracy in Havana needs to be streamlined. "We should never believe that what we have done is perfect," he told the National Assembly. “Today a more compact structure is required.” He said he would cut some regulations to stimulate the struggling economy, but Cubans hold out little hope of improvement. "The same nonsense continues," one cab driver and former revolutionary said.

Source New York Times

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Raul Castro speaks to lawmakers after being elected president of the State Council, Cuba's governing body, by Cuba's National Assembly in Havana, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008. Raul replaces his 81-year-old...   (Associated Press)
Raul Castro gestures as he attends a session of the National Assembly in Havana, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008. During the session Raul was elected president of the State Council, Cuba's governing body, replacing...   (Associated Press)
The president of Cuba's National Assembly Ricardo Alarcon, left, stands next to Fidel Castro's younger brother Raul Castro after Raul was elected President of Cuba's supreme governing body, the Council...   (Associated Press)
Fidel Castro's younger brother Raul Castro, left, reacts after being elected President of Cuba's supreme governing body, the Council of State, by the new National Assembly in Havana, Sunday Feb. 24, 2008,...   (Associated Press)
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Cuba  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • Communist Party  • Havana  • Cuban National Assembly


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Related Threads: Fidel Fades, Latin America, Cuba, What Will Raul Do Next?

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