HAVANA — Revolutionary icon Fidel Castro marked his 85th birthday behind closed doors Saturday as the aging leader famous for railing against Washington increasingly fades from the spotlight.
There were no announcements of how Castro planned to spend the day, though Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, in Havana for cancer treatment, said via Twitter that he was with his longtime friend and political mentor.
“Here with Fidel, celebrating his 85th birthday! Viva Fidel!” Chavez tweeted.
The previous night, two dozen musical acts from across Latin America held a concert in Castro’s honor. The former president didn’t make it to his own birthday bash — hardly a surprise because he appears infrequently since he stepped down in 2006.
Yet even in retirement, Castro has continued to be a player on the island. His presidential successor, Raul Castro, has said he consults with his older brother. Some Cuba watchers say his presence has acted as a brake on reforms that Raul is betting will save the island’s economy by loosening some state control.
“I think the issue is how long (Fidel) is going to linger on and how long he’s going to meddle in the government,” said Ann Louise Bardach, a longtime Cuba watcher and author of the book “Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington.”
