# Presidente Diaz-Canel (ICYMI) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 24, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidente-diaz-canel-icymi/813021 "2018-04-24T05:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidente-diaz-canel-icymi/813021/1 "2018-04-24T05:16:23Z")
On Thursday, Raúl Castro stepped down as president of Cuba, to be [succeeded by Miguel Diaz-Canel](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/miguel-diaz-canel-elected-cuba-president-castro-era-180419133611845.html). Which was basically a surprise to no one. Diaz-Canel took office the day before his 58[sup]th[/sup] birthday (um, you know _who else_ was born on that day\*?\*). Of course, Raúl will remain head of the Party, and the new president (who is younger than Cuban “communism”) is thought to be a hard-line type, so even after Castro follows his brother out, it is unlikely that much if anything will change. (I put this in **Elections** kind of for the sake of irony, or something.) ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidente-diaz-canel-icymi/813021/2 "2018-04-24T06:28:05Z")
Well, you could say he was elected by a very small electorate. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidente-diaz-canel-icymi/813021/3 "2018-04-24T14:19:36Z")
It’s a one-man-one-vote system. And Diaz-Canel is that one man. What’s ICYMI? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidente-diaz-canel-icymi/813021/4 "2018-04-24T14:31:36Z")
in case you missed it ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidente-diaz-canel-icymi/813021/5 "2018-04-24T20:48:38Z")
that USA embargo has worked so well to move them away from communism. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidente-diaz-canel-icymi/813021/6 "2018-04-25T21:11:28Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > (um, you know _who else_ was born on that day\*?\*). Um, no I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidente-diaz-canel-icymi/813021/7 "2018-04-25T22:54:05Z")
As long as Castro stays on as First Secretary of the Communist Party Diaz-Canel is going to have about as much real power as Mikhail Kalinin did in the Soviet Union. Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk