View source for President of Cuba

{{short description|Head of state of Cuba}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = President
| body = the Republic of Cuba
| native_name = {{lang|es|Presidente de la República de Cuba}}
| insignia = Coat of arms of Cuba.svg
| insigniasize = 75
| insigniacaption = [[Coat of arms of Cuba]]
| insigniaalt = 
| flag = Flag of the President of Cuba.svg
| flagsize = 
| flagalt = 
| flagborder = 
| flagcaption = Presidential standard
| image = Miguel Díaz-Canel (02).jpg
| imagesize = 
| alt = 
| imagecaption = 
| incumbent = [[Miguel Díaz-Canel]]
| acting = 
| incumbentsince = 10 October 2019
| department = [[Politics of Cuba#Executive|Presidential Office of Cuba]]<br>[[Politics of Cuba#Executive|Executive branch of the Government of Cuba]]
| style = [[Mr. President (title)|Mr President]] (informal) <br> [[Excellency|His Excellency]] (diplomatic) 
| type = [[Head of state]]
| status = 
| abbreviation = 
| member_of = [[National Assembly of People's Power]]
| reports_to = [[Council of State (Cuba)|Council of State]]
| residence = [[Palace of the Revolution|Palacio de la Revolución]]
| seat = 
| nominator = [[National Assembly of People's Power]]
| appointer = [[National Assembly of People's Power]]
| appointer_qualified = 
| termlength = Five years,
| termlength_qualified = renewable once<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/r-castro-84-says-cubas-leaders-are-too-old-proposes-limits-2016-4?r=US&IR=T|title=Raul Castro says Cuba needs term limits for its leaders|access-date=2016-09-07|archive-date=2018-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102723/http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-castro-84-says-cubas-leaders-are-too-old-proposes-limits-2016-4?r=US&IR=T|url-status=live}}</ref>
| constituting_instrument = [[Constitution of Cuba]] (2019)
| precursor = [[List of heads of state of Cuba|President of the Council of State]]
| formation = {{start date and age|1902|4|12|p=1|br=1}}
| first = [[Tomás Estrada Palma]]
| last = 
| abolished = December 1976–October 2019
| superseded_by = 
| succession = 
| unofficial_names = 
| deputy = [[Vice President of Cuba|Vice President]]
| salary = 
| website = {{official website|https://www.presidencia.gob.cu/en/}}
| footnotes = 
}}
{{Politics of Cuba}}

{{for|list|List of heads of state of Cuba}}
The '''president of Cuba''' ({{langx|es|Presidente de Cuba}}), officially the '''president of the Republic of Cuba''' ({{langx|es|Presidente de la República de Cuba}}), is the [[head of state]] of [[Cuba]]. The office in its current form was established under the [[Constitution of Cuba|Constitution of 2019]]. The President is the second-highest office in Cuba and the highest state office. [[Miguel Díaz-Canel]] became President of the [[Council of State (Cuba)|Council of State]] on 19 April 2018, taking over from [[Raúl Castro]], and has been President of Cuba since 10 October 2019.

The [[First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba]] continues to be the highest-ranking political position in Cuba. [[Fidel Castro]] held the position from 1976 to 2011, and [[Raúl Castro]] from 2011 until the 8th [[Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba]], held 16–19 April 2021, when he retired from office.<ref>{{cite news |title=Raul Castro passes power in Cuba to younger generation of communists |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-raul-castro-resigning-handing-leadership-of-cubas-communist-party-to/ |access-date=April 16, 2021 |work=Globe and Mail |agency=Reuters |date=April 16, 2021}}</ref>

==History==
Under the 1901 constitution, Cuba had a [[presidential system]] based on that of the United States.

In 1940, a new constitution reformed the government into a [[semi-presidential system]].

On 2 December 1976, the executive was reformed again by a new national constitution, this time in emulation of the [[Soviet Union]]. The presidential office was abolished and replaced by a collective head of state, the [[Council of State of Cuba|Council of State]], elected by the [[National Assembly of People's Power]]. However, unlike the USSR's arrangements, where the chairmen of the [[Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet|Presidium of the Supreme Soviet]] and 
the [[Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR|Council of Ministers]] were distinct posts, the chairman of the Council of State also chaired the [[Council of Ministers of Cuba|Council of Ministers]]. Furthermore, unlike [[English language|English]] and [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]] does not distinguish between the terms "chairman" ({{langx|ru|председатель}}) and "president" ({{langx|ru|президент}}), translating both as "Presidente". Thus, when back-translated into English, the term used was not "Chairman" (on the precedent of similar institutions in countries whose languages have a chairman/president distinction, such as the USSR and [[East Germany]]), but rather "President", from the shared etymology with the Spanish "Presidente".

On 24 February 2019, another constitution – Cuba's current – was adopted in a referendum. Under it, the government was again re-organized, and the posts of President and Prime Minister were restored.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article226540775.html |title=Cuba approves new constitution: What changes, what doesn't?|author=Mimi Whitefield|publisher=Miami Herald|date=February 25, 2019|access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref> This reorganization took effect on 11 October 2019. Díaz-Canel was President of the Council of State until 10 October 2019 and President of the Republic after that date. Under the new constitution, the position of President of the Council of State continues as a separate role, subordinate to President of the Republic. The new document also limited the President to two consecutive five-year terms.

In cases of the absence, illness or death of the President of Cuba, the Vice President assumes the presidential duties.

==Powers==
The President of Cuba is mandated to have the following powers as per the [[Constitution of Cuba|Constitution]]:
# Propose to the [[National Assembly of People's Power]], once elected by that body, the [[Prime Minister of Cuba]] and the members of the [[Council of Ministers (Cuba)|Council of Ministers]];
# Accept (based on personal preference) the resignation of the Prime Minister and members of the Council of Ministers or propose either to the National Assembly of People's Power or the Council of State the replacement of any of those members and, in both cases, to propose the corresponding substitutes;
# Receive the credentials of the heads of delegation of foreign [[List of diplomatic missions of Cuba|diplomatic missions]]. This responsibility may be delegated to any of the Vice Presidents of the [[Council of State (Cuba)|Council of State]];
# Assume the supreme command of all [[Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces|armed forces]] and determine their general organization;
# Preside over the National Defense Council;
# Declare a [[State of emergency|state emergency]] in those cases provided for in this Constitution, stating his decision, as soon as the circumstances permit it, to the National Assembly of People's Power or to the Council of State if the Assembly is unable to meet, according to legal effects;
# Sign [[Decree|decree-laws]] and other resolutions of the Council of State and the legal provisions adopted by the Council of Ministers or its executive committee, and arrange for their publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic;
# Assume all other duties assigned by the Constitution or by the laws of the Republic to him or her.

==See also==
{{Portal|Cuba}}
*[[Elections in Cuba]]
*[[First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba]]
*[[Prime Minister of Cuba]]
**[[List of prime ministers of Cuba]]
*[[Cuba under Fidel Castro]]
*[[2006–08 Cuban transfer of presidential duties]]
*[[List of colonial governors of Cuba]]
*[[List of heads of state of Cuba]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{CubanPres}}
{{Cuba topics}}
{{Heads of state and government of North America}}

[[Category:Presidents of Cuba| ]]
[[Category:Cuban politicians|*]]
[[Category:Government of Cuba]]
[[Category:Politics of Cuba]]
[[Category:1902 establishments in Cuba]]