Fidel Castro Delegates Control To Brother Raul in Cuba

Hmmm! One of the main stories of the last twenty-four hours has been the news that for the first time since January 1, 1959 Fidel Castro Ruz is no longer in charge of Cuba. His brother Raúl is. Here is the English-language version provided by Radio Havana (and reproduced by the BBC) of the text read to the Cuban people for the first time at 9:15 p.m., Monday, July 31, 2006 and repeatedly after that.

Proclamation of the Commander in Chief to the People of Cuba

Due to the enormous efforts made to visit the Argentinean city of
Cordoba, participate in the MERCOSUR meeting, in the closing of the
People's Summit at the historic University of Cordoba and the visit to
Altagracia, the city where Che lived during his childhood, and together
with that my participation in the commemoration of the 53rd anniversary
of the assault on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks on
July 26, 1953, in the provinces of Granma and Holguin, days and nights
of continuous work with practically no sleep, my health, which has
resisted all tests, was subjected to extreme stress and broke down.

This provoked a severe intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding which
obliged me to undergo complicated surgery. All the details of this
health accident are found in the x-rays, endoscopes and filmed
materials. The operation obliged me to rest for several weeks, away
from my responsibilities and tasks.

Since our country is threatened in such circumstances by the government
of the United States, I have made the following decisions:

1. I temporarily delegate my responsibilities as First Secretary of the
Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party to Second Secretary
Compañero Raúl Castro Ruz.

2. I temporarily delegate my responsibilities as Commander in Chief of
the heroic Revolutionary Armed Forces to the aforementioned Compañero,
Army General Raúl Castro Ruz.

3. I temporarily delegate my responsibilities as President of the
Council of State and the Government of the Republic of Cuba, to the
First Vice President, Compañero Raúl Castro Ruz.

4. I temporarily delegate my functions as principal promoter of the
National and International Public Health Program to Political Bureau
Member and Public Health Minister, Compañero José Ramón Balaguer
Cabrera.

5. I temporarily delegate my responsibilities as the principal promoter
of the National and International Program of Education to Companero
José Ramón Machado Ventura and Esteban Lazo Hernández, members of the
Political Bureau.

6. I temporarily delegate my responsibilities as the main promoter of
the National Program of the Energy Revolution in Cuba and collaboration
with other countries in this area to Companero Carlos Lage Dávila,
Member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Executive Committee
of the Council of Ministers.

The funds related to these three programs -- Health, Education and
Energy -- should continue being carried out and prioritized, as I have
personally been doing, by Companeros Carlos Lage Dávila, Secretary of
the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers, and Felipe Perez
Roque, Minister of Foreign Relations, who have accompanied me in these
endeavors and should form a commission to continue the work.

Our glorious Communist Party, supported by the mass organizations and
all the people, has the mission of assuming the task set forward in
this Proclamation.

The Summit of the Movement of Non-Aligned Nations, which will take
place between September 11th and 16th, should receive the highest
attention of the State and the Cuban nation, and to celebrated with the
highest splendor on the dates scheduled.

The 80th anniversary of my birthday, for which thousands of
personalities have agreed to celebrate on August 13th, should be
postponed until the 2nd of December this year -- the 50th anniversary
of the Landing of the Granma.

I call on the Central Committee of the Party and the National Assembly
of People's Power to give their strongest support to this Proclamation.

I don't have the slightest doubt that our people and our Revolution
will struggle until the last drop of blood to defend these and other
ideas and measures that are necessary to safeguard our historic
process. Imperialism will never smash Cuba. The Battle of Ideas will
continue forward.

Long Live the Homeland!

Long Live the Revolution!

Long Live Socialism!

Ever Onward to Victory!


Fidel Castro Ruz
Commander in Chief

First Secretary of the Party and President of the Councils of State and
Ministers of the Republic of Cuba

July 31, 2006
6:22 p.m.

Having recently spent two weeks in Havana, Cuba I am following this story pretty closely. Twenty-four hours after news of the above first statement caused street parties in the Calle Ocho section of Miami, Fidel released a second statement (full text unavailable) saying that "[he is] in perfectly good spirits. The most I can say is that the situation will remain stable during many days before a verdict can be given."

As the New York Times says, the particular details of Fidel's health are being kept secret, but I don't find this unusual. Particularly since the world's only superpower is less than 90 miles away and has reiterated as recently as yesterday that they want to be involved in Cuba's "transition to democracy" (or as the Cubans would parse that statement "overthrow our givernment").