As
a result of the enormous effort entailed by my
visit to the Argentinean city of Córdoba, my
participation in the Mercosur meeting and in the
closing ceremony of the People’s Summit at the
historic University of Córdoba, and my visit to
the city of Altagracia, where Che spent his
childhood, as well as the fact that immediately
after this I attended the celebrations for the
53rd anniversary of the attacks on
the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes
garrisons, which took place on the 26th
of July 1953, held in the provinces of Granma
and Holguín, and after days and nights of
non-stop work with barely any sleep, my health,
which has withstood every test, was put under
extreme stress and submitted to the pressure.
This brought about an acute intestinal crisis
with persistent bleeding which made it necessary
for me to undergo complicated surgery. All the
details concerning this health problem are
contained in the x-rays, endoscopies and filmed
material. This operation has forced me to take
several weeks off, away from my responsibilities
and duties.
Due to the fact that our country faces a threat
from the Government of the United States in
circumstances such as these, I have taken the
following decisions:
1)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as First
Secretary of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Cuba to the Second Secretary,
comrade Raúl Castro Ruz.
2)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as
Commander-in-Chief of the heroic Revolutionary
Armed Forces to the aforementioned comrade, Army
General Raúl Castro Ruz.
3)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as President
of the Council of State and Government of the
Republic of Cuba to the First Vice-President
Raúl Castro Ruz.
4)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as the main
driving force behind the National and
International Public Health Programme to the
member of the Politburo and Minister of Public
Health, comrade José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera.
5)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as the main
driving force behind the National and
International Education Programme to comrades
José Ramón Machado Ventura and Esteban Lazo
Hernández, members of the Politburo.
6)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as the main
driving force behind the National Energy
Revolution Programme being implemented in Cuba
and abroad as part of a scheme of collaboration
with other countries to comrade Carlos Lage
Dávila, member of the Politburo and Secretary of
the Executive Committee of the Council of
Ministers.
The funds corresponding to these three
programmes, namely Health, Education and Energy,
should continue to be administered and given
priority, as I myself have been doing, by
comrades Carlos Lage Dávila, Secretary of the
Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers,
Francisco Soberón Valdés, Minister and President
of the Central Bank of Cuba, and Felipe Pérez
Roque, Minister of Foreign Relations, who have
worked with me on this and who should form a
commission to this end.
Our glorious Communist Party, with the support
of grassroots organizations and the people as a
whole is given the mission of assuming the task
entrusted to it in this Proclamation.
The State and Cuban nation should give the
Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, to be held
between the 11th and 16th
of September, their devoted attention in order
to ensure that it takes place on the envisaged
dates and is a glittering success.
I
ask that the celebrations for my 80th
birthday, which thousands of people had so
kindly planned for the 13th of
August, be postponed until the 2nd of
December of this year, which will mark the 50th
anniversary of the Landing of the Granma.
It
is my request that the Central Committee of the
Party and the National Assembly of People’s
Power give their unwavering support to this
Proclamation.
I
have no doubt whatsoever that our people and our
Revolution will fight to the very end to defend
these ideas and measures, as well as any others
that are necessary to safeguard this historic
process.
Imperialism will never succeed in crushing Cuba.
The Battle of Ideas will go forth.
Long Live the Homeland!
Long Live the Revolution!
Long Live Socialism!
Ever Onward to Victory!
(Signed)
Fidel Castro Ruz
Commander-in-Chief
First Secretary of the Party and
President of the Councils of State and
Ministers of the Republic of Cuba
(31 July 2006, 6:22 p.m)
