Live Update
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Raul Castro to step down as Cuba’s president in April 2018
Cuban President Raul Castro will step down in April 2018 straight after elections that same month to choose his successor, according to a vote in the island state’s National Assembly.
The vote pushes back the date of the general elections, which were initially to be held at the end of February, because of disruption caused by a hurricane in September.
The elections will now take place on April 19.
Castro, 86, will hand over power shortly afterward to the president-elect.
— AFP