BIG Changes in Cuban Gov't. Shakeup

[magbana]

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba abruptly replaced some of its most powerful and
visible officials on Monday, including Vice President Carlos Lage and
Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque.

The surprise shakeup, involving about 10 top officials, was announced
at the end of the midday newscast by Cuba's supreme governing body,
the Council of State.
Among others replaced is Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez.

Lage, 57, was one of five vice presidents below Raul Castro and had
served as a de-facto prime minister. He was credited with helping save
Cuba's economy by designing modest economic reforms after the Soviet
Union collapsed.

Perez Roque, 43, was previously personal secretary to Fidel Castro and
a former leader of the Communist Party youth organization. He had been
foreign minister for almost a decade.
--------------------

Nota Oficial del Consejo de Estado de la República de Cuba
El Consejo de Estado de la República de Cuba dio a conocer este lunes
la siguiente nota oficial:

En consonancia con los planteamientos realizados por el Presidente de
los Consejos de Estado y de Ministros, General de Ejército Raúl Castro
Ruz, en la sesión constitutiva de la VII Legislatura de la Asamblea
Nacional del Poder Popular el 24 de febrero de 2008, acerca de que hoy
se requiere una estructura más compacta y funcional, con menor número
de organismos de la administración central del Estado y una mejor
distribución de las funciones que cumplen , el Consejo de Estado, a
propuesta de su Presidente, previa consulta con el Buró Político del
Comité Central del Partido, acordó en reunión celebrada este lunes
realizar los siguientes movimientos de cuadros y reestructuraciones en
algunos organismos de la Administración Central del Estado:

Liberar al compañero José Luis Rodríguez García del cargo de
Vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros y Ministro de Economía y
Planificación.

Designar al compañero Marino Murillo Jorge en el cargo de
Vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros y Ministro de Economía y
Planificación y liberarlo de su responsabilidad al frente del
Ministerio de Comercio Interior.

Liberar al compañero Otto Rivero Torres de sus responsabilidades como
Vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros, teniendo en cuenta que ha
concluido el traspaso de los programas que atendía a los respectivos
organismos inversionistas.

El Vice-presidente del Gobierno Ramiro Valdés Menéndez quedará
encargado de su coordinación y control. Fusionar los ministerios de
Comercio Exterior y para la Inversión Extranjera y la Colaboración
Económica, y designar al compañero Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz en el cargo
de Ministro de Comercio Exterior e Inversión Extranjera, denominación
que comprende a las actividades de Colaboración Económica que
desarrolla el país.

Liberar al compañero Raúl de la Nuez Ramírez de sus responsabilidades
como Ministro de Comercio Exterior.

Fusionar los ministerios de la Industria Alimenticia y de la Industria
Pesquera y designar a la compañera María del Carmen Concepción
González, quien fuera previamente liberada de su condición de miembro
del Secretariado del Comité Central del Partido, en el cargo de
Ministra de la Industria Alimenticia, denominación que incluye las
actividades de la Industria Pesquera.

Liberar a los compañeros Alejandro Roca Iglesias y Alfredo López
Valdés de sus cargos de ministros de la Industria Alimenticia y de la
Industria Pesquera, respectivamente.

Liberar al compañero Felipe Pérez Roque de sus responsabilidades como
Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores y promover al actual Viceministro
Primero, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, para ocupar ese cargo.

Liberar a la compañera Georgina Barreiro Fajardo del cargo de Ministra
de Finanzas y Precios y nombrar en su lugar a la compañera Lina
Pedraza Rodríguez, también liberada de su condición de miembro del
Secretariado del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC),
responsabilidad desde la cual atendía a los órganos globales de la
economía.

Liberar al compañero Fernando Acosta Santana del cargo de Ministro de
la Industria Sideromecánica y promover en su lugar al general de
brigada Salvador Pardo Cruz, quien se desempeñaba como Director
General de la Unión de Industria Militar.

Promover al compañero Jacinto Angulo Pardo, Viceministro Primero del
Ministerio de Comercio Interior, al cargo de Ministro de este
organismo.

Liberar al compañero Alfredo Morales Cartaya del cargo de Ministro de
Trabajo y Seguridad Social y promover en su lugar a la compañera
Margarita Marlene González Fernández, actual Viceministra Primera de
este organismo.

Designar Ministro de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente, organismo
al que se traslada la atención del Polo Científico, al compañero José
M. Miyar Barrueco, quien fue liberado con ese propósito de su
condición de Secretario del Consejo de Estado.

Designar de modo interino, sujeto a la ratificación por la Asamblea
Nacional del Poder Popular en el próximo período ordinario de
sesiones, al diputado Homero Acosta Álvarez en el cargo de Secretario
del Consejo de Estado, con la función de asistir y auxiliar al
Presidente, el Primer Vicepresidente, los Vicepresidentes y demás
miembros del Consejo de Estado en el cumplimiento de las atribuciones
definidas a este órgano en los artículos 89, 90 y 93 de la
Constitución de la República.

El cargo de Secretario del Consejo de Estado no constituye en sí mismo
una instancia con facultades de decisión en el ámbito estatal, ni
desempeña protagonismo alguno en la dirección del Estado.

Liberar al compañero Carlos Lage Dávila de su cargo de Secretario del
Consejo de Ministros y designar en esta responsabilidad al actual Jefe
de la Secretaría del Ministro de las FAR, general de brigada José
Amado Ricardo Guerra, con la función de asistir y auxiliar al
Presidente del Consejo de Ministros, al Primer Vicepresidente y demás
miembros de su Comité Ejecutivo en sus actividades, en correspondencia
con el artículo 97 de la Constitución de la República y la legislación
vigente, y por tanto este cargo no constituye legalmente una instancia
con facultades de decisión en materia gubernamental, ni se le atribuye
protagonismo alguno en la dirección del Gobierno.

En el marco de estas decisiones el Buró Político y el Consejo de
Estado ratificaron la vigencia de los pronunciamientos del compañero
Raúl Castro el 24 de febrero de 2008 cuando expresó: La
institucionalidad es uno de los pilares de la invulnerabilidad de la
Revolución en el terreno político, por lo que debemos trabajar en su
constante perfeccionamiento. No creernos nunca que lo que hemos hecho
es perfecto. En correspondencia con lo anterior, se convino en la
necesidad de continuar estudiando la actual estructura del Gobierno
con el objetivo de reducir gradualmente su envergadura y elevar su
eficacia.

Tomado de la Agencia de Información Cubana

[Mika]

1. As a follower of politica Cubañia, this is VERY interesting.

Carlos Lage and Felipe Perez Roque are out? :wow:

[rabs]

2. Found the AP report shallow and maybe alarmist ...

"abruptly replaced" ... "The surprise shakeup"

A more careful reading of the communique by the AP reporter would have shown that this has been in the works since Feb. 26, 2008 when Raul said the government needed a "more comp0act and functional structure," and a "fewer number or organizations" and a "better distribution of functions."

So it was not as if this was something that happened overnight as the AP reports seems to imply.

The last paragraph of the communique is also interesting:

Raul said, "institutionality is one of the pillars of the invulnerability of the Revolution politically, so we should work for its constant perfection. We should never convince ourselves that what we have done is perfect."

Raul said "the structure of the government needs to be continually studied with the objective to gradually reduce its size and elevate its efficiency."

---------------

Looks like Raul is reshaping the government to his own liking and infusing new blood into the Revolution.

Lage and Perez Roque came as a surprise, but in the end, they were Fidel's proteges.

[Bacchus39]

3. there is nothing wrong with the reporting

there is no way you can get from Raul's remarks from a year ago, to saying that this was in the works and is not a surprise. how are reporters supposed to know that changes in leadership were coming?

and there was no link posted either. but I do have one.

this is interesting:

"The most sweeping leadership shakeup in years was dropped on Cubans almost as an afterthought — at the end of the midday news, following the weather and sports."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090303/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_leadership_shakeup;_ylt=AlitVgudVF3_NAiqYbEtF063IxIF

[magbana]

4. OFFICIAL Cuban Gov't. Note on Changes in English

"Havana. March 2, 2009

OFFICIAL NOTE FROM THE COUNCIL OF STATE
Agrees on movement of cadres and reorganization of agencies

IN accordance with proposals by the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, General of the Army Raúl Castro Ruz, in the constitutional session of the 8th Legislature of the National Assembly of People’s Power on February 24, 2008, regarding the fact that "a more compact and functional structure is required today, with fewer agencies under the Central State Administration and a better distribution of their duties," the Council of State, on the proposal of its president, after consulting with the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Party, agreed in a meeting today to make the following movements of cadres and to reorganize a number of agencies under the Central State Administration:

To release José Luis Rodríguez García from the posts of vice president of the Council of Ministers and minister of economy and planning.

To appoint Marino Murillo Jorge to the posts of vice president of the Council of Ministers and minister of economy and planning and to release him from his responsibilities as head of the Ministry of Domestic Trade.

To release Otto Rivero Torres from his responsibilities as vice president of the Council of Ministers, taking into account that the transfer of programs he attended to the respective investment agencies has concluded. The vice president of government, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, will be in charge of their coordination and control.

To merge the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, and to appoint Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz as head of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, a designation that includes the country’s economic cooperation activities.

To release Raúl de la Nuez Ramírez from his responsibilities as minister of foreign trade.

To merge the Ministry of the Food Industry and the Ministry of the Fishing Industry and to appoint María del Carmen Concepción González, who previously had been released from her post as member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party, as head of the Ministry of the Food Industry, a designation that includes the activities of the fishing industry.

To release Alejandro Roca Iglesias and Alfredo López Valdés from their posts as ministers of the food industry and minister of the fishing industry, respectively.

To release Felipe Pérez Roque from his responsibilities as minister of foreign affairs and to promote the current first deputy minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, to occupy that post.

To release Georgina Barreiro Fajardo from the post of minister of finances and prices and to appoint in her stead Lina Pedraza Rodríguez, also released from her post as member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of PCC, in which she attended the overall agencies of the economy.

To release Fernando Acosta Santana from his post as minister of the iron, steel and heavy machinery industry and promote in his stead Major General Salvador Pardo Cruz, who occupied the post of general director of the Union of Military Industry.

To promote Jacinto Angulo Pardo from first deputy minister to minister of the Ministry of Domestic Trade.

To release Alfredo Morales Cartaya from the post of minister of labor and social security and to promote in his stead Margarita Marlene González Fernández, currently first deputy minister of that ministry.

To appoint as minister of science, technology and the environment, a ministry to which attention to the scientific complex is transferred, José M. Miyar Barrueco, who was released for that purpose from his post as secretary of the Council of State.

To appoint on an interim basis, subject to ratification by the National Assembly of People’s Power in the upcoming ordinary session period, Deputy Homero Acosta Álvarez to the post of secretary of the Council of State, with the duty of assisting and aiding the president, the first vice president, the vice presidents and other members of the Council of State in fulfilling the attributions of that body as defined in articles 89, 90 and 93 of the Constitution of the Republic.

The post of secretary of the Council of State is not in and of itself an authority with State decision-making powers nor does is it in any way play a central role in the leadership of the State.

To release Carlos Lage Dávila from his post as secretary of the Council of Ministers and to appoint in that post the current head of the Secretariat of the Ministry of the FAR (Revolutionary Armed Forces), Major General José Amado Ricardo Guerra, with the duty of assisting and aiding the president of the Council of Ministers, the first vice president and the other members of its Executive Committee in its activities, in accordance with Article 97 of the Constitution of the Republic and current legislation, and therefore, that post does not legally constitute an authority with government decision-making powers, nor does it in any way play a central role in the leadership of the government.

In the framework of these decisions, the Political Bureau and the Council of State ratified the validity of the statements of Raúl Castro on February 24, 2008 when he said, "…Institutionalism is one of the pillars of the Revolution’s invulnerability in political terms, which is why we must work to constantly perfect it. We should never believe that what we have made is perfect."

In accordance with the above, it was agreed that it is necessary to continue studying the government’s current structure with the objective of gradually reducing its magnitude and increasing its effectiveness.

Translated by Granma International
"
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/march/lun2/10cambio-i.html

[Judi Lynn]

5. Thank you for the deeper information.

It's tremendous knowing there are some posters here who are truly aware of Cuban events and their meanings, as well as a few conspicuous idealogues. That part can't be helped, of course.

This is a far better look at what's happening than we're likely to learn elsewhere.