Jan 31, 2008 8:48 am US/Eastern
Raul Castro Tops Fidel In Parliamentary Election
The Parliament Will Convene February 24th To Select A Council
Fidel Castro Has Not Said If He Will Run For Head Of The Council
HAVANA (CBS4) ―
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Raul Castro
Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images
For the second time in decades, Acting President Raul Castro, not his older brother Fidel, was the top vote-getter in Cuba's parliamentary elections.
The election was held over the weekend and the official results were released Wednesday. 76-year-old Raul received 99.4 percent of votes cast in the family's base of Santiago in eastern Cuba, a percentage point more than Fidel got.
Both brothers easily won re-election to the National Assembly of Popular Power, as did all of the other 614 candidates.
Officials said that 95 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, though about 4.5 percent of those turned in blank or invalid ballots. While voting is not mandatory, failing to do so can draw unwanted attention from pro-government neighborhood watch organizations. There was only one choice for each office and organized campaigning was forbidden.
While far less prominent globally than his brother, Raul has long been popular in eastern Cuba. Some Cubans consider him more pragmatic than his visionary brother. Raul, who is also defense minister, bested his brother in the 2005 parliamentary vote too, getting 99.75 percent compared to Fidel's 99.01.
The younger Castro has been governing Cuba since his brother underwent emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006 and provisionally ceded power. Fidel Castro remains head of the Council of State, Cuba's supreme governing body. The new parliament will convene at the end of February to choose a new council from its members. Fidel has not said whether he wants to remain head of state or retire.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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