Raul Castro: podcast appearances and interviews

Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician, general, and revolutionary. He served as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 2011 to 2021. Castro was also President of Cuba from 2008 until 2018, succeeding his brother Fidel Castro. He is regarded by some as the de facto leader of the country. Castro played a significant role in the Cuban Revolution and served as the minister of the Armed Forces from 1959 to 2008, making him the longest-serving minister of the armed forces. He was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1965 until 2021 and was involved in the highest decision-making processes in the country. Due to his brother's illness, Castro was appointed acting president of the Council of State in 2006. He was officially elected president in 2008 after Fidel Castro announced he would not stand again and was re-elected in 2013. Castro announced that his 2018 term would be his last, and he stepped down from the presidency in April 2018, succeeded by Miguel Díaz-Canel. Although retired from the presidency, Castro remained the first secretary of the Communist Party until his retirement was announced at the Eighth Congress in April 2021. He continues to hold a seat in the National Assembly representing Santiago de Cuba's Segundo Frente municipality and was involved as the head of the constitutional reform commission.