Cuba says Communist Party is still in control

Cuba’s Communist Party tried to quell fears of chaos yesterday following the temporary surrender of power by the ailing Fidel Castro but failed to clear up doubts over who is in charge of the island.

In a typically cryptic message, the main Communist Party newspaper Granma printed an old speech by Raul Castro, who took over island leadership on Monday, saying that his brother’s only heir was the Communist Party itself. While the front page publication of the speech was obviously designed to quell fears that Fidel’s possible exit after 47 years of rule would unleash chaos, it could puzzle many Cubans who say they want to see Raul in public.In the speech, delivered on June 14 to army officers and first printed in Granma the following day, Raul said: “Only the Communist Party …can be the worthy heir of the trust Cubans have placed in their leader.”Fidel, a notorious workaholic whose 80th birthday is on August 13, temporarily handed over power to Raul after undergoing surgery to stop intestinal bleeding.While his brother, regarded as competent but uncharismatic, has long been known to be his successor, he is no youngster at 75.Nampa-ReutersWhile the front page publication of the speech was obviously designed to quell fears that Fidel’s possible exit after 47 years of rule would unleash chaos, it could puzzle many Cubans who say they want to see Raul in public.In the speech, delivered on June 14 to army officers and first printed in Granma the following day, Raul said: “Only the Communist Party …can be the worthy heir of the trust Cubans have placed in their leader.”Fidel, a notorious workaholic whose 80th birthday is on August 13, temporarily handed over power to Raul after undergoing surgery to stop intestinal bleeding.While his brother, regarded as competent but uncharismatic, has long been known to be his successor, he is no youngster at 75.Nampa-Reuters