Raul Castro proposes term limits in Cuba

[Judi Lynn]

April 16, 2011
Raul Castro proposes term limits in Cuba

(AP) HAVANA (AP) — Raul Castro proposed term limits for Cuban politicians on Saturday, a remarkable gesture on an island ruled for 52 years by him and his brother, but one unlikely to have a major effect on his own future.

The 79-year-old president told delegates to a crucial Communist Party summit that Cuban politicians and other important officials should be restricted to two, five-year terms. Castro officially took over from his brother Fidel in 2008, meaning he'd be at least 86 when his second term as Cuban leader ended, depending on how the law is written.

The proposal was made at the latter stage of a long speech in which the Cuban leader forcefully backed a laundry list of economic changes which together represent a sea change for the country's socialist system, including the eventual elimination of the ration book and other subsidies, the decentralization of the economy and a new reliance on supply and demand in some sectors.

Still, he drew a line in the Caribbean sand across which the reforms must never go, telling party luminaries that he had rejected dozens of suggested reforms which would have allowed the concentration of property in private hands.

More:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/16/ap/latinamerica/main20054638.shtml

[Judi Lynn]

1. Castro proposes term limits to promote new generation of leaders

Castro proposes term limits to promote new generation of leaders
Apr 17, 2011, 4:16 GMT

Havana - Cuban President Raul Castro vowed to promote a 'systematic rejuvenation' of senior government positions, with term limits of 10 years in ministries and the party leadership.

The 79-year-old president's proposal came in a speech at the weekend congress of the island's Communist Party, which he said lacked 'a reserve of properly qualified substitutes.'

'It is recommended that the exercise of key political and state offices be limited to two consecutive periods of five years,' he told the first full party congress in 14 years, convened to debate the proposed modernization of Cuba's socialist economic model.

He said term limits 'are possible and necessary in the current circumstances, which are distinct from those of the first decades of the revolution that was under constant threat and aggression.'

More:
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/americas/news/article_1633452.php/Castro-proposes-term-limits-to-promote-new-generation-of-leaders

[Judi Lynn]

2. Fidel Castro praises brother amid historic changes

Fidel Castro praises brother amid historic changes
By Shasta Darlington,
4:14 p.m. EDT

Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Fidel Castro, Cuba's historic leader, gave his successor and younger brother Raul a vote of confidence on Sunday with praise for a speech promoting a radical overhaul of the economy and term limits for political offices.

When President Raul Castro inaugurated a key summit of the Communist Party on Saturday, he took many by surprise when he declared leaders should be limited to two five-year terms in office, a surprising move in a country where one family has ruled for the last 52 years.

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He also praised the military parade to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cuba's victory against a U.S.-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs. The parade Saturday kicked off the Communist Party summit.

"It was all worth it to have lived to see the show today, and it is always worth remembering those who died to make this possible," he wrote.

More:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/04/17/cuba.castro/index.html?hpt=T2