Miguel Díaz-Canel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miguel Díaz-Canel
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Díaz-Canel in 2023
|
|
| First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba | |
| Assumed office 19 April 2021 |
|
| Second Secretary | Salvador Valdés Mesa |
| Preceded by | Raúl Castro |
| 17th President of Cuba | |
| Assumed office 10 October 2019 |
|
| Prime Minister | Manuel Marrero Cruz |
| Vice President | Salvador Valdés Mesa |
| Preceded by | Himself (as President of the Council of State) Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado (as President, 1976) |
| President of the Council of State and Ministers of Cuba | |
| In office 19 April 2018 – 10 October 2019 |
|
| First Vice President | Salvador Valdés Mesa |
| Preceded by | Raúl Castro |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Marrero Cruz (as Prime Minister) |
| 19th Vice President of the Council of State and Ministers | |
| In office 24 February 2013 – 19 April 2018 |
|
| President | Raúl Castro |
| Preceded by | José Ramón Machado Ventura |
| Succeeded by | Salvador Valdés Mesa |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 8 May 2009 – 21 March 2012 |
|
| President | Raúl Castro |
| Preceded by | Juan Vela Valdés |
| Succeeded by | Rodoldo Alarcón Ortíz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 April 1960 Placetas, Cuba |
| Political party | Communist Party of Cuba |
| Spouses |
Lis Cuesta Peraza
(m. 2009) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Las Villas |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Engineer |
| Signature |  |
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (born 20 April 1960) is a Cuban politician and engineer. He is the current leader of Cuba. He has been the 8th First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba since 2021. He has also been the 17th President of Cuba since 2019. As First Secretary, he is the most powerful person in the Cuban government.
Díaz-Canel took over from the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro. He is the first Cuban leader not from the Castro family since the Cuban Revolution. He is also the first non-Castro head of state since 1976. He has been a member of the Politburo since 2003. Before becoming president, he served as Minister of Higher Education. He was also Vice President of the Council of Ministers and First Vice President of the Council of State.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Miguel Díaz-Canel was born on 20 April 1960. His hometown is Placetas, in the Villa Clara area of Cuba. His mother, Aída Bermúdez, was a schoolteacher. His father, Miguel Díaz-Canel, worked at a mechanical plant. His family has Spanish roots from Asturias.
He studied at the Central University of Las Villas. In 1982, he graduated as an electronics engineer. After that, he joined the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. From 1985, he taught engineering at his old university. In 1987, he worked on an international project in Nicaragua. He was a leader for the Young Communist League there.
Starting His Political Career
In 1993, Díaz-Canel began working with the Communist Party of Cuba. A year later, he became the First Secretary of the Party in Villa Clara Province. This was a very important position, like being a top regional leader. He became known for being good at his job. During this time, he was reported to support fairness for all people, including LGBT rights. This was at a time when some people in the province did not agree with this.
In 2003, he moved to the same position in Holguín Province. In that same year, he became a member of the powerful Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba.
Rising Through Government Roles
In May 2009, Díaz-Canel was named Minister of Higher Education. He held this job until March 2012. Then, he became Vice President of the Council of Ministers. This role is similar to a deputy prime minister. In 2013, he also became the First Vice President of the Council of State. In this role, he was the deputy to the President, Raúl Castro.
Leading Cuba (2018–Present)
In 2018, Raúl Castro, who was 86, stepped down as president. However, he remained the most powerful person as First Secretary of the Communist Party. On 18 April 2018, Díaz-Canel was chosen to take over as president. The National Assembly confirmed him on 19 April. He was sworn in on the same day. He is the first president born after the 1959 Cuban Revolution. He is also the first president since 1976 who is not from the Castro family.
.jpg)
International Visits and Reforms
Just two days after becoming president, he met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He also visited Maduro in Caracas in May 2018. This was his first official trip as head of state. In November 2018, Díaz-Canel visited many of Cuba's allies in Eurasia. He had diplomatic meetings in Russia, North Korea, China, Vietnam, and Laos. He also made short stops in the United Kingdom and France. There, he met with British and French leaders. In March 2019, Díaz-Canel and his wife welcomed Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall to Havana. They were the first British royals to visit Cuba.
In October 2019, Díaz-Canel became the President of the Republic of Cuba. This position was created again after new constitutional reforms were approved. These reforms were voted on in a referendum in February 2019. The new role replaced his previous one, President of the Council of State. His reforms also limited the presidency to two five-year terms. They also banned unfair treatment based on gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
His government also changed the country's Family Code in 2022. This happened after a referendum was approved. These changes made same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, and helping others have children through surrogacy legal. These new rules have been called some of the "most progressive" in Latin America.
.jpg)
Recent Events and Re-election
On 19 April 2021, he officially became the First Secretary of the Communist Party. This happened after Raúl Castro resigned. This made Díaz-Canel the true leader of Cuba. BBC News reported that Díaz-Canel is loyal to the ideas of the Castros.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Cuba's government blamed the United States for the situation. They supported Russia's right to defend itself against NATO expansion. However, they did not support the invasion itself. They said the conflict should be solved through talks. Díaz-Canel visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow in November 2022. Both leaders spoke against Western sanctions on Cuba and Russia. They also opened a monument to Fidel Castro in Moscow.
.jpg)
On 19 April 2023, Díaz-Canel was re-elected for a second five-year term as president. Salvador Valdés was also re-elected as vice president. Even though Cuba faced tough economic times, his re-election was expected. He received strong support from the Assembly members. They praised his leadership in difficult situations. They also liked his focus on teamwork, new ideas, and science.
In December 2023, Díaz-Canel spoke out against the violence against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. He called Israel a terrorist state. He joined a protest in Havana to support Palestinians. On 15 October 2024, he led another pro-Palestinian protest in Havana.
Awards and Honors
Angola
Dr. António Agostinho Neto Order (2019)
Venezuela:
Collar of the Order of the Liberator (2018)
Vietnam:
Order of Ho Chi Minh (2018)
Mexico:
Collar of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (2023)
Portugal:
Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (2023)
Namibia:
First Class of the Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia mirabilis (2023)
Personal Life
Miguel Díaz-Canel has two children from his first marriage to Marta Villanueva. That marriage ended in divorce. He now lives with his second wife, Lis Cuesta Peraza.
On 23 March 2021, Díaz-Canel earned a PhD in technical sciences. His research was about how the government uses science and new ideas for Cuba's growth.
See also
- List of international trips made by Miguel Díaz-Canel
- List of presidents of Cuba
- List of prime ministers of Cuba
