Membership of the Politburo
There are 14 members on the Politburo of the Cuban Communist Party that was selected in April, 2021. There are three women, three men over the age 70, and three members who are currently on active military duty. It is the most powerful political institution in Cuba. In terms of policy making, there are two key, overlapping groups in the Politburo. The largest is the post-revolution generation of party leadership. These individuals were either born after 1959 or were children during the revolutionary struggle. They are Miguel Diaz-Canel, Roberto Morales Ojeda, Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, General Lazaro Alvarez Casas, Teresa Amarelle Boue, Marta Ayala Avila, Manuel Marrero Cruz, General Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja, and Gladys Martinez Verdecia. The other group is the Raulistas. These are individuals who are close to the Castro-Espin families and/or are military or former military with strong business backgrounds. They include General Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja (head of GAESA – GAESA is the largest business consortium on the island and it is run by the military), Manuel Marrera Cruz (former head of GAVIOTA – GAVIOTA is the tourist business consortium and is part of GAESA), Jose Amado “Amadito” Ricardo Guerra, General Alvaro Lopez Miera, General Lazaro Alvarez Casas, and Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.
Brief Analysis
In the mid-1990s, it was Raul Castro, at that time the head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), who began to open up the Cuban economy after the end of the Cold War by focusing on the tourist industry and implementing the Chinese model of economic reform (mixed economy and continued rule by the Communist Party). He sent top military officials abroad to learn best business practices and put the military in charge of much of the Cuban economy. It is this group of Raulistas or senior military/elite businessmen with ties to the Castro-Espin families who will dominate the Politburo, at least until the passing of Raul Castro. They represent a kind of military-industrial/business complex which controls the majority of the Cuban economy. It also is important to note that while Raul Castro no longer officially has a political position, he remains extremely powerful.
The largest group in the Politburo (10 of 14), the post-revolution party leadership, consists of those who did not play a role in the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. They were either too young to participate in the revolutionary struggle or were born after Castro came to power. Many expect this group to be more open to economic and political change but the evidence, at least at this point, is mixed. While many see this group as the future of Cuba, they cannot initiate substantive change without the support of the Raulistas.
List of Members and Brief Biography
Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez – First Secretary of the Party and President of Cuba (for detailed background information, please see my post on my blog, under the category “Cuba/Nicaragua/Latin America, entitled “Cuba’s Next President: Will He Make a Difference?” dated August 1, 2018). He replaced Raul Castro as First Secretary of the Party in April, 2021 and represents the post-revolution generation of party leadership and is a Raulista. He has been a member of the Politburo since 1997.
Esteban Lazo Hernandez - First VP of the Party and President of the National Assembly of People’s Power and Council of State. Esteban Lazo Hernandez, an Afro-Cuban, was born in 1944 in Matanzas Province in Jovellanos as an agricultural worker. He is part of the 2nd generation of party leadership. He worked in the Literacy Campaign of the 1960s and gradually worked his way up the party bureaucracy focusing on agriculture to his position today in the party. He has been a member of the Politburo since 1986.
Salvador Valdes Mesa – Vice President of Cuba and Deputy Prime Minister. Salvador Valdez Mesa, an Afro-Cuban, was born in 1945 in Camaguey Province as an agricultural worker. He became an agricultural engineer and trade union leader and is part of the 2nd generation of party leadership. He worked his way through the party ranks to the position of First VP of Cuba in 2018. He has been a member of the Politburo since 1997.
Roberto Morales Ojeda – Minister of Health. Roberto Morales Ojeda was born in 1967 in Cienfuegos. He is a medical doctor and has worked in public health his entire career. He worked his way through the party ranks and has been a member of the Politburo since 2010. He represents the post-revolution generation of party leadership. He has been a member of the Politburo since 2016.
General Alvaro Lopez Miera – Head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba (FARC) and Hero of the Republic of Cuba. Alvaro Lopez Miera was born in 1943 in Havana to parents who had fled the Spanish Civil War. He grew up in Santiago and at the age of 14 he joined the 26th of July Movement and fought against Batista. He served in Angola and Ethiopia and has risen through the ranks of the FARC. He has been a member of the Politburo since 1997 and is very close to the Castro-Espin family. He is a Raulista.
Bruno Rodriquez Parrilla – Foreign Minister. Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla was born in 1958 in Mexico City. His father held several positions in the Cuban government. He earned his JD from the University of Havana and has served primarily in the diplomatic corp. From 1995 to 2003 he was the permanent representative of Cuba to the UN. He represents the post-revolution generation of Party leadership. He has been a member of the Politburo since 2012.
Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento – Secretary General of the Federation of Cuban Workers. Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento was born in 1964 in Artemisa. He worked as a building engineer and worked his way up the ranks of the Party. He is also the VP of the World Federation of Trade Unions. He represents the post-revolution generation of Party leadership. He has been a member of the Politburo since 2016.
Teresa Maria Amarelle Boue – Secretary General of the Federation of Cuban Women, member of the Council of State. Born in 1964, she represents the post-revolution generation of Party leadership. She has been a member of the Politburo since 2016.
Marta Ayala Avila, Ph.D. – Born in 1966, she is General Director of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) (appointed January 30, 2021). Previously she had been deputy general director of the CIGB for 5 years. She joined the CIGB since she was a Biochemistry student at the University of Havana. For more than 30 years, she served as a researcher in the development of technologies, in the use of genetic engineering to obtain recombinant antibodies, and in vaccines against cancer and macular degeneration. She later became Project Manager in fields of Molecular Immunology and Genetic Engineering. She has represented the CIGB at numerous international events. As part of the Henry Reeves contingent, she recently advised the production of interferon in Nicaragua, to combat the epidemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, and provide her experience in the fight against COVID-19. She represents the post-revolution generation of Party leadership. She has been a member of the Politburo since 2016.
Manuel Marrero Cruz – Prime Minister of Cuba. Born in 1963 in Holguin and an architect by training, he served as head of GAVIOTA and then as Minister of Tourism from 2002 to 2019. He is considered to be a pragmatist and reform minded. He represents the post-revolution generation of party leadership and is a Raulista. He was named to the Politburo in April, 2021.
Jose Amado “Amadito” Ricardo Guerra – Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers. Born in 1953, he served in the military in Ethiopia and rose through the ranks of the FAR. He worked in the Ministry of Defense and became an assistant to Raul Castro in 2006 (Raul was still head of the FAR at this time). He has been Secretary of the Council of Ministers since 2009 and was named to the Politburo in April, 2021. He is a Raulista.
Brigade General Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja – Head of GAESA and former son-in-law to Raul Castro. Born in 1967 he represents the post-revolution generation of party leadership and is a Raulista. He was named to the Politburo in April, 2021.
General Lazaro Alvarez Casas – Minister of Interior. Born in 1963, he has served in various positions in the military including counterintelligence. He served with military in Angola. He represents the post-revolution party leadership and is a Raulista. He was named to the Politburo in April, 2021.
Gladys Martinez Verdecia – First Secretary of Artemisa. Born in 1971, she is an agronomy engineer who graduated from the University of Pinar del Rio. She gradually worked her way up the ranks of the Communist Party. She was named to the Politburo in April, 2021 and represents the post-revolution party leadership.
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