Raúl’s Cuba Fidel Castro announced on Tuesday that he would step down as Cuba’s president and commander in chief after 49 years at the communist island’s helm, ending months of speculation over his political future that began when he underwent abdominal surgery in July 2006.
“It would be a betrayal to my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I am physically able to offer,” Mr Castro said in a statement published by Granma, the Communist party’s daily newspaper.
