Havana, April 20 (IANS): Cuban President Raul Castro called for handing over power to the younger generation in an address at the closing of the 7th Congress of the Cuba's Communist Party (PCC).
Castro on Tuesday signalled that he wants top leaders to retire at 70, starting from 2021, and that the next five years would be a transition period for creating a younger generation of leaders, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Due to the inexorable law of life, this Congress will be the last led by the historic generation, who will hand over the flags of revolution and socialism to its younger pillars, without sadness or pessimism," Castro said.
The 84-year-old president said that the PCC's main mission must be "to defend, preserve and continue perfecting socialism and never allowing the return of capitalism."