interim leader

(Newser) - The Castro brothers overthrew a dictatorship and won a revolution together, but while charismatic Fidel was the public face giving passionate seven-hour speeches, steely Raúl quietly got it done—ruthlessly sending dissenters to the firing squad, earning him the nickname "the Prussian." As Fidel fades, writes the...

(Newser) - Benazir Bhutto's designation of her widower as interim leader of the Pakistan People's Party has inflamed family and tribal tensions, and renewed past disagreements over her leadership. Patriarch Mumtaz Bhutto, Benazir's 74-year-old uncle, blasted Asif Ali Zardari for having "no political background or acumen" and predicted his leadership would...

(Newser) - National parliamentary elections—which could mark a formal end to Fidel Castro's rule—will be held on Jan. 20, the AP reports. The ailing Castro must be re-elected to Cuba's National Assembly to regain his position as president. If he withholds his name from the ballot, "he is effectively...

(Newser) - Fidel Castro did not give his usual sermon at Cuba's annual Revolution Day celebration today; instead, his brother Raul took center stage. The no-longer-quite-so-interim leader, who assumed power a year ago because of his brother's health problems, told a cheering crowd that he's willing to negotiate with the US after...