Cuban President Fidel Castro handed over power for the first time in his nearly 50 years at the head of the Caribbean island nation this Monday. A recent trip to Argentina, as well as the July 26th celebration of the anniversary of the beginning of the Cuban revolution (the attack on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks), have taken a toll on the 79 year-old man's health. Castro was forced to undergo emergency surgery to correct intestinal bleeding. Castro "provisionally" delegated his presidential duties to his brother, for what Fidel predicted would be a period of "some weeks."

In his letter to the Cuban people, which was read on Cuban television on Monday night by an assistant, he noted that since the country is threatened in these circumstances by the US government, he had to give specific instructions as to who would take on his duties. In delegating his duties as head of the departments of Health, Education, and Energy to several men other than his brother, he asked his replacements to place special priority on these issues. He directed the country to give all of its energy to organizing for the Non-Aligned Movement Summit, which Cuba will host in September. Celebrations of Fidel Castro's 80th birthday have been rescheduled from August 13th to December 2nd. Corporate media focused its reports on Cuban-Americans' celebrations in the streets of Miami, and the seemingly stunned calm on the island. On Tuesday evening, Fidel Castro announced that his situation was stable, but that only time would tell the true condition of his health.

Articles about Fidel stepping down | Website of Granma, the official newspaper of Cuba (English) | Granma in Spanish