The XI Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba begins

Image via the PCC

By René Tamayo León, translated from the Spanish

On Saturday morning, the XI Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, headed by its First Secretary and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, commenced. This session took place on the eve of the 67th Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution, amid a challenging historical context with unique characteristics.

The organization's highest governing structure between congresses is meeting this time using videoconference links between the Plenary Hall of the Palace of the Revolution and the provinces.

The meeting is also led by Political Bureau members: Esteban Lazo Hernández, the president of the National Assembly; Manuel Marrero Cruz, the Prime Minister; Salvador Valdés Mesa, the Vice President of the Republic; and Roberto Morales Ojeda, the Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee, who moderates the meeting. Other members of the Political Bureau also participated.

On this initial and sole day of discussions, a report on the implementation of prior agreements will be presented. The Political Bureau will provide an account of its activities between plenary sessions, and the impact of Hurricane Melissa along with the recovery progress will be discussed.

The Central Committee members of the Communist Party of Cuba (CC PCC) will assess the implementation of the Government Program aimed at correcting distortions and revitalizing the economy. Additionally, they will review the proposals for the Economic Plan and the State Budget Project for 2025. These documents will be presented and debated in the upcoming ordinary session of the National Assembly of People's Power.

ARMY CORPS GENERAL ROBERTO LEGRÁ SOTOLONGO PROMOTED TO THE POLITICAL BUREAU

The CC PCC members promoted Army Corps General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, who has been serving as the First Deputy Minister and Chief of the General Staff of the Revolutionary Armed Forces since 2021, to a full member of the Political Bureau of the Organization.

A graduate of Higher Military Education, Legrá Sotolongo studied at the General Antonio Maceo Interarms cadet school, specializing in Tactical Command of General Troops. He studied from 1983 to 1987 at the Mikhail Frunze General Troops Command and General Staff Academy.

His biography on the CC PCC website, www.pcc.cu, mentions that Legrá Sotolongo held various command roles with successful outcomes. These roles include Infantry Battalion Chief, Tank Brigade Chief, Chief of the military regions of Villa Clara and Santiago de Cuba, Chief of Staff of the Western Army, Director of the "General Antonio Maceo" Interarms School, the "General Máximo Gómez Báez" FAR Academy, Second Chief of the General Staff, and Chief of the FAR Operations Directorate. He also completed an internationalist mission in Angola as Head of the Tactical Group.

He pursued the Specialty in Defense and National Security at CODEN and completed the III degree of Command and Strategic Operational Staff at the FAR Academy.

The military chief has been awarded various honors, such as the "Ignacio Agramonte" medal in third, second, and first class, the second class "Internationalist Combatant" medal, and the "For the Cuba-Angola Victory" medal. Additionally, he has received commemorative medals for the 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries of the FAR, as well as distinctions "For Service in the FAR" for X, XV, and XX years.

Legrá Sotolongo was a delegate to the VI, VII and VIII Congresses of the Communist Party, being elected a member of the Central Committee in the latter. He has been a Deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power since 2018.

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC