Raúl Castro

Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz (born 3 June 1931) is a Cuban politician, general, and revolutionary who served as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most senior position in the one-party communist state, from 2011 to 2021, and President of Cuba between 2008 and 2018, succeeding his brother Fidel Castro; he is still considered the de facto leader of the country by some commentators. One of the military leaders of the Cuban Revolution, Castro served as the minister of the Armed Forces from 1959 to 2008. His ministerial tenure made him the longest-serving minister of the armed forces.