CUBA

 

 

 

Miguel Diaz-Canel officially became President of Cuba on Thursday morning after Raul Castro stepped down and Diaz-Canel was confirmed by the National Assembly.

 

 

 

NBC News (@NBCNews) reports, Castro,86, will remain head of the Communist Party, the most powerful governing body in Cuba, but his departure from the presidency represents a symbolic shift in an aging leadership.

 

 

 

The transition is an effort to guarantee that young leaders like Diaz-Canel, who has served as Cuba’s first vice president since 2013, can maintain power of the Communist-run government put in place by the party’s founders.

 

 

 

Among Diaz-Canel’s challenges are Cuba’s economic stagnation and a younger generation’s disenchantment with its limited opportunities.