Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro was nominated Sunday as a National Assembly candidate by local officials here, clearing the way for a possible return to the presidency.
The 81-year-old communist leader's name was put forward on a list of candidates for national elections on January 20 at a meeting of municipal representatives in Santiago de Cuba, where he has traditionally been nominated for office.
Castro must hold a seat in the National Assembly to officially resume the presidency. Castro has led Cuba for almost five decades but "provisionally" handed over power to his younger brother and long-time number two Raul, 76, after undergoing intestinal surgery in July 2006.
From the ranks of the nominees for the national and provincial assemblies, 614 lawmakers will be elected in January and they will choose the Council of State. The council's president serves as head of Cuba's one-party government. To applause and cheers of "Vive Fidel!" municipal officials in Santiago de Cuba unanimously approved Fidel Castro's nomination on a list of 25 candidates for the National Assembly.
The nomination of Castro was a response to the "immense affection, respect, consideration and recognition that our people have (for him)," said Vice President Carlos Lage. Lage added that Cubans were focusing their attention on Castro's "recuperation."
Castro was needed as head of state "because there is no job more important in the world," a job that requires an awareness of the dangers facing the planet and "the needs of responsible citizens," Lage said.
Since Castro handed over to his brother, speculation has since been rife as to whether the elder Castro would return to power, at least formally. Cuba-watchers say it is possible he might be elected an assembly deputy, but then choose not to run for re-election to the Council of State.
If he had not been nominated Sunday, that could have opened the way for Raul Castro to take over Cuba's presidency indefinitely. Raul was also nominated at the session in Santiago de Cuba, which leaves open the possibility he could be formally elected president if his brother steps aside. Voting for the presidency is set to be held no later than March 5, 2008.
Cuban officials insisted last year Fidel would resume his full powers, but now generally steer clear of the issue, as the long-time leader continues to convalesce at an undisclosed location.
He has been prolific in writing often rambling opinion pieces published by state-run media, which officials hail as proof the veteran revolutionary is keeping up with local and world events. But he has made no public appearance, other than on television, since his surgery in July 2006, and authorities have released only scant details of his medical condition.
Cuba says its electoral process, run without any campaigning, is "the most democratic in the world," an assertion ridiculed by the United States, which for decades has called for democratic reforms in Cuba.
In Santiago de Cuba, the country's second city in the east and considered the cradle of the Cuban revolution, locals said earlier they wanted to see their veteran leader take office again. "It is certain that we will nominate Castro again and will elect him on January 20," said 64-year-old resident Ramon Gutierrez. "He is our historic leader."
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