Havana, April 20 (IANS) Miguel Diaz-Canel was elected on Thursday as Cuba's new President, as the successor of Raul Castro who concluded two consecutive five-year terms in office.
In his first speech as the new head of state before the National Assembly, Diaz-Canel said that "in this new legislature there will be no space for those aspiring to a capitalist restoration".
"Only for those aspiring to continue improving our socialism," Xinhua quoted the President as saying.
Diaz-Canel said that "by decision of the people, the only choice we have is to continue the work started by the founding fathers of Cuban revolution in 1959, through the unity of all the generations of Cubans".
The leader highlighted the responsibility of taking the presidential office and remarked that he "will fulfil with honour the orders of the people, following the steps of the historic first generation of the revolution".
Concerning to the election of the new legislature, Diaz-Canel described it as the "ratification of the democracy", with the main protagonist being the Cuban people.
"It is a legislature, emerged from the people, which will control its function and will participate in the decision of measures and the implementation of the approved policies," Diaz-Canel said.
Diaz-Canel, former first Vice-President and an electronics engineer who will turn 58 this Friday, was nominated by the National Candidature Commission on Wednesday after he was proposed by the 604 National Assembly lawmakers to head the country.
After handing over the presidency to his successor, Castro, 86, remains as a lawmaker in the parliament and as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba, which is considered as the leading force of the Cuban society.
--IANS
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