New Legislature of Cuban Parliament and Council of State Elected

During a speech on Sunday after being elected as President of the
Councils of State and Ministers, Raul stressed that only the Communist
Party, which guarantees the unity of the Cuban people, is worth of the
confidence placed by the Cuban people in Fidel Castro for almost five
decades.

During the constituent session of the Cuban Parliament on Sunday, the
614 deputies took up their posts before Maria Esther Reus, President of
the National Electoral Commission.

The National Assembly also elected the new Council of State with Raul
Castro as his President and Jose Ramon Machado Venture as First Vice
President.

Juan Almeida Bosque, Julio Casas Regueiro, Esteban Lazo Hernandez,
Carlos Lage Davila and Abelardo Colome Ibarra were elected as the other five vice presidents.

Rep. Fidel Castro cast his vote by sealed envelope due to his health
condition.

Also during the constituent session, through direct and secret ballot,
deputies re-elected Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada and Jaime Crombet as
President and Vice President, respectively, of the Cuban Parliament,
while Miriam Brito Sarroca was elected as the new secretary of the
legislative body.

Amarilis Perez Santana, President of the National Commission of
Legislature, explained the long process of exchanges and consultation
for this election and recalled that Alarcon has been elected as
President of Parliament for three consecutive terms while Crombet has
been its vice president for 15 years.

The National assembly also approved, at the request of the President of
the Council of State and Ministers, the designation of Army Corps
General Julio Casas Regueiro as Minister of the Revolutionary Armed
Forces.

Likewise, they also approved Raul’s proposal to continue consulting
decisions of significant importance for the future of the nation with
the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz.

In accordance with Article 75 of the Constitution, the Assembly also
agreed on considering the composition of Government in a future session to be held later this year.