Miguel Díaz-Canel expected to succeed Raúl Castro as Cuban president

Cuban President Raúl Castro is expected to step down this week, with Miguel Díaz-Canel the lone candidate to be his successor, The Associated Press reports. The move comes less than two years after the death of Fidel Castro, who was the brother of 86-year-old Raúl.

Díaz-Canel, 57, is described by The Washington Post as "a consensus builder unlikely to push for quick or radical change." He will be the first new leader of the communist island nation after almost 60 years of rule by the Castro brothers. "This is about institutionalizing the regime," explained Jorge Domínguez, a Cuba expert at Harvard University, adding: "If you are someone who really wants the regime to endure, it's what Raúl needs to do."

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