(ajz) Raul Castro has been named the new president of Cuba by the country's national assembly, succeeding Fidel Castro, his ailing brother. Raul, 76, who has led a caretaker administration since Fidel suffered ill health 19 months ago, was selected in a meeting of the 614-member assembly on Sunday. "Fidel is irreplaceable; the people will continue his work when he is no longer with us physically, though his ideas always will be here," Castro said in his acceptance speech. "I accept the responsibility I have been given with the conviction I have repeated often - there is only one Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel is Fidel and we all know it well." The national assembly gave Raul permission to consult Fidel on major state matters. The position of first vice-president was given to Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, a communist politician who fought alongside the Castro brothers in the period covering the 1959 revolution. Fidel announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down as president of Cuba, after leading the country for almost 50 years. Cuba's national assembly is also charged with selecting the 31-member council of state, as well as other posts.

Join BBN for free to post a comment. If you already have an account, please login here to post a comment. You will be returned to this page after logging in.