Miguel Díaz-Canel

Miguel Díaz-Canel
Díaz-Canel in 2025
First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba
Assumed office
19 April 2021
Preceded byRaúl Castro
17th President of Cuba
Assumed office
10 October 2019
Prime MinisterManuel Marrero Cruz
Vice PresidentSalvador Valdés Mesa
Preceded byHimself (as President of the Council of State)
Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado (as President, 1976)
President of the Council of State and Ministers of Cuba
In office
19 April 2018  10 October 2019
First Vice PresidentSalvador Valdés Mesa
Preceded byRaúl Castro
Succeeded byManuel Marrero Cruz (as Prime Minister)
19th Vice President of the Council of State and Ministers
In office
24 February 2013  19 April 2018
PresidentRaúl Castro
Preceded byJosé Ramón Machado Ventura
Succeeded bySalvador Valdés Mesa
Minister of Education
In office
8 May 2009  21 March 2012
PresidentRaúl Castro
Preceded byJuan Vela Valdés
Succeeded byRodolfo Alarcón Ortíz
Personal details
Born (1960-04-20) 20 April 1960
Santa Clara, Cuba
Political partyCommunist Party of Cuba
Spouse(s)Marta Villanueva (divorced)
Lis Cuesta Peraza (m. 2009)
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Las Villas (BS)
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionEngineer
Signature

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (Latin American Spanish: [miˈɣel ˈdi.as kaˈnel]; born 20 April 1960) is a Cuban politician and engineer. He has served as the 8th first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba since 2021 and as the 17th president of Cuba since 2019. In his capacity as First Secretary, he is the most powerful person in the Cuban government. Díaz-Canel succeeded the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro, becoming Cuba's first non-Castro leader since 1958 and its first non-Castro head of state since 1976. He has been a member of the Politburo since 2003. He served as Minister of Higher Education from 2009 until 2012, when he was promoted to Vice President of the Council of Ministers. A year later, in 2013, he was elected as First Vice President of the Council of State. In 2018, he succeeded Raúl Castro as President of the Council. Following the enactment of a new constitution, he assumed the newly (re)created office of President of Cuba. On 19 April 2021, he was appointed as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba following Raúl Castro's exit from the role, completing the transition to non-dynastic leadership in Cuba.