Above: Fidel Castro

“I will neither aspire to nor accept the positions of president of the state council and commander in chief.”

The announcement was made on the online edition of the Cuban Communist Daily paper Granma.

Fidel Castro, who is now 81 years of age, steps down after 50 years in power.

“My wishes have always been to discharge my duties to my last breath. That’s all I can offer,” Castro wrote in his letter. “But it would be a betrayal of my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I am physically able to offer. This I say devoid of all drama.”

Taking his place will be his right hand man and brother Raul, who will be formally taking seat this Sunday at a meeting of the Cuban National Assembly. He has been acting as president since Fidel had an acute infection in his colon that forced him to undergo emergency surgery.

“I think the Cuban people slowly, but surely have come to accept that Fidel Castro needs to retire, that he no longer is the man he was and that it’s time to move on,” says Cuban journalist Marc Frank. “So I really don’t see that there will be any surprise at all in this.”

This last statement echoes more than just a “peaceful resignation.” There will be no celebration over the matter. Raul Castro has been Fidel’s second in command for the entire time he was in power. Nothing has changed.

“Eventually, this transition ought to lead to free and fair elections — and I mean free, and I mean fair — not these kind of staged elections that the Castro brothers try to foist off as true democracy,” United States President Bush said.

The question is when will that be? And who will be the leader at that time. Definitely not a Castro.

“I am not saying goodbye to you. I only wish to fight as a soldier of ideas.”

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