Leadership style changes in Cuba

HAVANA (AP) -- Raul Castro signaled a new leadership style in comments published Thursday, promising fewer speeches, more power sharing, and a willingness to hear different views as he fills in for his "irreplaceable" brother Fidel.
The Communist Party newspaper Granma said Raul Castro told about 800 university leaders they should "fearlessly" engage in public debate and analysis -- expressing a different leadership style than that of his 80-year-old brother.
"The first principle in constructing any armed forces is the sole command," said the younger Castro, who became Cuba's provisional leader five months ago when Fidel Castro stepped aside after emergency intestinal surgery. "But that doesn't mean that we cannot discuss. That way we reach decisions, and I'm talking about big decisions."
Fidel Castro's nearly five-decade rule as Cuba's "Maximum Leader" was characterized by meandering, hours-long speeches, unquestioned decisions and micromanagement of government programs and policies.
After announcing his illness July 31, Fidel Castro named six trusted people to run key projects he had handled alone. Raul, Cuba's defense minister since 1959 and his brother's constitutionally designated successor, was given temporary powers as president and head of the ruling Communist Party.
"From the first moment, I established that I would not have to ... speak in every event," Raul Castro told the students. "This is the line we should follow: that these speeches will be shared" among leaders.
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