President of Cuba
President of the Council of State of Cuba | |
---|---|
Presidente del Consejo de Estado de Cuba | |
Council of State | |
Style | Mr. President |
Member of | Council of Ministers |
Residence | Palacio de la Revolución |
Appointer | National Assembly of People's Power |
Term length | Five years, renewable once [1] |
Inaugural holder | Fidel Castro (1976 Constitution) |
Formation | 1902/1976 |
Deputy | First Vice President of the Council of State |
Cuba portal |
The President of Cuba (Spanish: Presidente de Cuba), officially called from 1976 President of the Council of State (Spanish: Presidente del Consejo de Estado de Cuba), is the head of the Council of State of Cuba. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1976.
The President of the Council of State is, at the same time, the President (as Prime Minister) of the Council of Ministers of Cuba, the head of government. In cases of the absence, illness or death of the President of the Council of State, the First Vice President assumes the President’s duties.
The current President is Raúl Castro, who is also the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, making him the de facto top leader in Cuba, a one-party communist state.
Powers
The President of Cuba has the power to:
- Propose to the National Assembly of People’s Power, once elected by that body, the members of the Council of Ministers;
- Accept (based on personal preference) the resignation of the members of the Council of Ministers or propose either to the National Assembly of People’s Power or the Council of State the replacement of any of those members and, in both cases, to propose the corresponding substitutes;
- Receive the credentials of the heads of delegation of foreign diplomatic missions. This responsibility may be delegated to any of the vice presidents of the Council of State;
- Assume the supreme command of all armed forces and determine their general organization;
- Preside over the National Defense Council;
- Declare a state emergency in those cases provided for in this Constitution, stating his decision, as soon as the circumstances permit it, to the National Assembly of People’s Power or to the Council of State if the Assembly is unable to meet, according to legal effects;
- Sign decree-laws and other resolutions of the Council of State and the legal provisions adopted by the Council of Ministers or its Executive Committee, and arrange for their publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic;
- Assume all other duties assigned it by the Constitution or by law.[citation needed]
See also
- First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba
- Prime Minister of Cuba
- List of Presidents of Cuba
- Cuba under Fidel Castro
- 2006–08 Cuban transfer of presidential duties
References
- ^ "Raul Castro says Cuba needs term limits for its leaders". Retrieved 2016-09-07.