After 49 years as the leader of Communist Cuba, Fidel Castro has stepped down. Less than a week before the National Assembly will meet to select a new head of state, Castro says he is no longer “in the physical condition" to run the government, but expressed confidence in “elements of the old guard" and “others who were very young when the first stage of the revolution began." Speaking from Africa today, George W. Bush called for the release of political prisoners. The resignation of the 81-year old leader, who served during the terms of ten US presidents, is big news in the streets of Miami, where Cuban refugees and their descendents dominate local politics. Will Castro's brother, Raul, continue Cuba's current regime or will a younger generation embrace democracy as the US demands?
Fidel Castro Says He's Stepping Down
Credits
Guests:
- Ray Sanchez - Havana Reporter, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
- Oscar Corral - Reporter, Miami Herald
- William LeoGrande - American University - @wmleogrande
- Susan Kaufman Purcell - Dean of the School of Public Affairs, American University