Cuba’s Communist Party picks new leader

For the first time since the 1959 revolution, a Castro is not in charge of Cuba. The country’s Communist Party has, as expected, chosen Miguel Díaz-Canel as its next leader. It’s unclear what, if anything, will change for the Cuban people.

Who is Díaz-Canel? The 61-year-old was born a year after the revolution in the west-central city of Santa Clara. He earned an engineering degree and dedicated himself to official politics, climbing rapidly through the government ranks. In 2012, he rose to one of Cuba’s vice presidencies and soon thereafter was named first vice president. Díaz-Canel has supported some small-scale reforms such as allowing more small private businesses. But he has steadfastly defended Cuba’s communist system.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in The Sift about a strange illness that struck U.S. diplomats in Cuba in recent years.