HAVANA — Cuba’s Communist Party opened a two-day conference Saturday to hold an internal debate on its future, the possibility of political term limits and perhaps even a change or two at the top.
The closed-door gathering is a follow-up to last April’s historic party summit where delegates green-lighted fledgling reforms, opening up long-shut doors of economic opportunity.
Although the government has essentially followed through on its economic promises — such as liberalizing home and car sales, expanding private-sector activity and offering loans to support farmers, entrepreneurs and homeowners — expectations were low that this weekend would yield any blockbuster announcements beyond what officials have already hinted about.
“The expectations were high because this conference was perceived as an act of continuity with relation to the 6th Congress, as a space to complete the economic adjustment with complementary political reforms,” said Cuban-born economist Arturo Lopez-Levy, a lecturer at the University of Denver. “It became clear that that vision was unfoundedly optimistic.”
Foreign journalists were not allowed access, and limited coverage was available through the island’s official media. The state-run website Cubadebate showed photos of President Raul Castro presiding over the conference wearing a gray blazer and a dark, open-collar shirt, with what appeared to be a small bandage on the tip of his nose.
In a snippet of video posted on Cubadebate, Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura said in a keynote speech that the conference would focus on “the everyday work of the organization.”
Castro has dampened expectations for any big announcements, saying two weeks ago that nobody should have “great illusions about the conference” and the topics of debate were more “an internal question for the party.”
According to a draft agenda that circulated last fall, one matter up for discussion will be Castro’s call to limit officeholders, including the president, to two five-year terms, with the goal of achieving a “gradual renewal in leadership.”
Over the years a number of rising young stars considered potential successors to Raul Castro, 80, and his brother Fidel, retired and largely out of sight at 85, have been unceremoniously fired. There are no obvious replacements waiting in the wings.
In April the younger Castro, who is also party chief, lamented the lack of politicians prepared to take over from the 70- and 80-somethings who occupy many top posts. Grooming new leaders would be a priority during his five-year term, he said.
Recently, a Cuban official told The Associated Press that despite the lack of movement in visible roles such as Cabinet ministers, many mid-level government posts have quietly changed hands, with younger officials moving up.
If true, that would bolster Castro’s claim that his government was laying the groundwork, albeit slowly, for generational change.
