Havana Times

Cuba Announces Cabinet Changes

Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez is a new vice president of the Council of Ministers in substitution of José Ramón Fernández Alvarez. Foto: radiorebelde.cu

HAVANA TIMES, March 22 — The Cuban government announced several changes in the cabinet of Raul Castro on Thursday, although no reasons were given for the moves.

Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, 52, is a new vice president of the Council of Ministers in substitution of José Ramón Fernández Alvarez, 89.

Diaz-Canel leaves his post as the minister of Higher Education and Fernández will now be an advisor to President Raul Castro, explained the official note in Granma newspaper.

Rodolfo Alarcón Ortiz is the new minister of Higher Education; he had been the first vice minister.

In another change, Elba Rosa Pérez Montoya is the new minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, relieving José M. Miyar Barrueco.

Pérez Montoya had headed the Communist Party Central Committee’s Department of Science.

Miyar Barrueco was assigned to head a new business enterprise under the Council of Ministers to  deal with research, development, production and marketing of medicines, a field he has led since the creation of the Scientific Center on the west side of Havana.