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Castro Cedes Power to Brother Raul During Surgery
Dateline Havana - July 31, 2006
In a stunning development, Cuban leader Fidel Castro
today temporarily turned over power to his younger
brother and eventual successor, Raul, sparking speculation
about his health, and continuing leadership. The aging
leader said that this move was of "a provisional
character" while he underwent surgery for intestinal
bleeding, but that did not stop an intense reaction
both at home and abroad.
Around Cuba, word of the dictator's illness and
the power transfer were met with incredible levels
of jubilation. Cubans around the island were seen
turning their makeshift rafts back into cars and trucks,
in anticipation that the country may, one day, be
habitable again.
When told that the changeover was temporary, one local
Cuban man replied, "What, you mean he's not dead? Do
you know how long it takes to make a seaworthy vessel
out of a 1956 Studebaker pickup? Now I have to start
all over!"
Elsewhere on the island, hundreds of Marines were
happy to hear the news at the American military base of
Guantanamo Bay.
"That's great! Let's just hope that Raul is just as
complacent about us running a concentration camp
on his soil," said one Marine who declined to be named.
The celebrations were not limited to Cuba, however, as
in Miami, the Cuban community was filled with
joyous protest. Choruses of "RIP Fidel" and "Cuba Libre"
could be heard, barely audible, over the mariachi horns
and conga drums blaring. This type of excitement is
usually reserved for the first of the month in Miami's
Cuban neighborhoods, but in this case the parties
began a day early.
"This is great news," said Juan Valdez, one of the joyous
protestors, "Do you know how much easier it is going to be
to get cigars and rum now? Truly incredible."
For WNN, this is Rollme Somecohibas reporting.
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