MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Díaz-Canel reelected as President of Cuba

“Cuba defends the single party because it is at the root of our history”, said Díaz-Canel after being reelected

Miguel Díaz-Canel was re-elected for a second term in office by the National Assembly of People's Power, a body which was renewed Wednesday after the March 27 elections, it was reported in Havanna.

Díaz-Canel got 459 of the votes (97.66 %), while Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa was also reelected, but with 439 votes (93.4 %).

“Cuba defends the single party because it is at the root of our history”, said Díaz-Canel after being reelected, adding that now “it is time to overcome obstacles” during his second five-year tenure (2023-2028). Díaz-Canel kept his Council of Ministers virtually unchanged.

According to the Cuban Constitution, the president and vice president may hold these positions for up to two elective terms, pursuant to Article 11 of Law 136 of 2020.

Díaz-Canel's reelection was almost simultaneous to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arriving in Cuba for talks with him and with his Cuban colleague Bruno Rodriguez.

The Russian foreign minister landed at Havana's José Martí International Airport from Nicaragua where he met with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and other representatives of the Central American country's government.

The visit to Cuba is the last stop of Lavrov's Latin American tour, which began on Monday, April 17, and will end on Friday, April 21. Lavrov met with the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega; and of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. During his stay in the Venezuelan capital, the Russian diplomat held talks with his Bolivian counterpart and with the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves.