Raul Castro, a former first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, has participated in a meeting of the party’s political bureau that was dedicated to the recent protests in the country, the party has said.
On Sunday, Cuba witnessed its largest protests since 1994, fueled by anger over shortages of basic goods. Thousands of people demanded free elections and the resolution of social issues. According to local media, protests and gatherings took place in eight Cuban cities, including Havana. In response, government and Communist Party supporters held their own marches.
“The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba held a meeting chaired by comrade Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, the first secretary of the Central Committee and president of the republic, which was attended by Army General Raul Castro Ruz,” the party said in a statement.
The meeting analyzed the so-called “provocations orchestrated by the counter-revolutionary elements” and allegedly financed by the United States.
Raul Castro was Cuba’s Minister of Defence for 50 years after the 1959 revolution and replaced Fidel Castro as head of the ruling party and state. In 2006, due to the illness of his brother, Raul Castro became the acting president of the Council of State in a temporary transfer of power. On March 16, 2021, he announced that he was retiring. After relinquishing all political posts, he continues to advise current leaders on strategic issues.
