Castro’s choice of heir could be a surprise, daughter hints
HAVANA— One of the highest-profile members of Cuba’s ruling family says the country could be surprised by the person who succeeds her father as president.
Mariela Castro’s uncle Fidel led Cuba for a half century before he was succeeded as president by her father, Raul Castro.
Raul Castro has said he plans to step down in February. International and domestic observers widely expect him to be succeeded by 57-yearold First Vice-President Miguel Diaz-Canel. But when asked on Wednesday about the succession process, Mariela Castro said, “Sometimes you’re going in one direction and suddenly you look over here and go, ‘Wow, how interesting, I hadn’t focused on this person.’ ” She concluded that “there are always surprises.”
Mariela Castro has long been one of Cuba’s most outspoken public figures, and her statements are thought to bear her father’s imprimatur.