Fidel Alejandro CastroRuz (born August 13, 1926)is a Cuban politician andforme r pr e s ident . Oneof the primary leaders ofthe Cuban Revolution,Castro served as the PrimeMinister of Cuba fromFebruary 1959 to December1976, and then a s thePresident of the Council of State of Cuba and the president of Council ofMinisters of Cuba until his resignation from the office in February 2008.

He currently serves as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, aposition he has held since 1965.

Castro was born into a wealthy family and acquired a law degree.

While studying at the University of Havana, he began his political careerand became a recognized figure in Cuban politics. His political careercontinued with nationalist critiques of the president, Fulgencio Batista,and of the United States’ political and corporate influence in Cuba. Hegained an ardent, but limited, following and also drew the attention ofthe authorities. He eventually led the failed 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, after which he was captured, tried, incarcerated, and laterreleased. He then traveled to Mexico to organize and train for an invasion ofCuba to overthrow Batista’s government, which began in December 1956.

Castro subsequently came to power as a result of the CubanRevolution, which overthrew the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Batista, andshortly thereafter became Prime Minister of Cuba. In 1965 he became FirstSecretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, and led the transformation ofCuba into a one-party socialist republic. In 1976 he became President ofthe Council of State as well as of the Council of Ministers. He also held thesupreme military rank of Comandante en Jefe (“Commander in Chief”) ofthe Cuban armed forces. Following intestinal surgery from an undiscloseddigestive illness believed to have been diverticulitis, Castro transferred hisresponsibilities to the First Vice-President, his younger brother Raúl Castro,on July 31, 2006. On February 19, 2008, five days before his mandate wasto expire, he announcedhe would neither seek noraccept a new term as eitherpresident or commanderin-chief. On February 24,2008, the National Assemblye l e c t e d Ra ú l Ca s t r o t osucceed him as the Presidentof Cuba.