Cuba names young student to graying Council of State

Cuba names young student to graying Council of State
AFP
December 31, 2015

Cuba named a 23-year-old student to the Council of State, one of the
communist island's most powerful bodies, official media said Thursday,
the latest sign of a generational shift.

Student union president Jennifer Bello, who is studying to become a
teacher, takes the post vacated by 76-year-old General Abelardo Colome,
a founder of Cuba's powerful intelligence services, who stepped down in
October because of poor health.

"This is the first time a student leader has held a position on this
important leadership body, which confirms the Revolution's confidence in
its youth," said state newspaper Granma.

Bello was elected to the post with 552 votes for and six against in the
National Assembly of People's Power, the Cuban legislature.

The Council of State, headed by President Raul Castro, is a 31-member
body with vast powers to rule by decree and execute policies passed by
the legislature.

Bello's appointment comes as the aging leaders of the Cuban Revolution
contemplate the island's future after their retirement.

Castro, 84, took over from his older brother Fidel, 89, when the
long-time leader stepped down in 2006.

The president has announced he too will retire at the end of his second
term, in 2018.

The all-powerful Communist Party set a limit of two five-year terms for
the country's highest offices at its sixth congress in 2011, a sharp
break with the elder Castro's nearly half-century reign.

Raul Castro has undertaken gradual reforms since taking power, opening
up a small space for private enterprise and embarking on a historic
rapprochement with long-time enemy the United States.

Source: Cuba names young student to graying Council of State -
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