
Miguel Diaz-Canel was named Cuba's new president on Thursday. Canel succeeds Raul Castro putting an end to a historic six-decade-long Castro-rule over the country.
57-year-old Canel was the only candidate for the presidency and was elected to a five-year term.
Canel secured 603 out of 604 votes in the National Assembly.
President Raul Castro, 86, stepped down after 10 years in office. His replacement, Miguel Diaz-Canel, is a 57-year-old engineer who embraces technology and appears socially liberal.
Diaz-Canel is a stalwart of the ruling Communist Party and is considered a safe bet to inherit the ideological mantle of Castro and other elderly leaders who helped Fidel Castro topple a US-backed president six decades ago.
(With inputs from agencies)