Cuba's May Day goes on – without Castro

On Tuesday, the country's ailing leader missed his third May Day in his 48 years of power.

By Sara Miller Llana | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the May 2, 2007 edition

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Mexico City and Havana - Fidel Castro's absence during Cuba's annual May Day parade in Revolution Plaza was a blow to many Cubans – and Castro fans the world over – who expected their leader to make his first public appearance since falling ill and ceding temporary power to his brother Raúl Castro last July.

For nearly nine months, Mr. Castro has only been seen in photos and footage. But despite his absence Tuesday, speculation that once centered on how much longer he had to live has given way to a sense that he will get back to work. Now, Cuban residents and observers are wondering in what capacity he might return.

"Fidel is the revolution and he represents the dreams of many people," says Ernesto, a law student at the University of Havana who declined to give his last name. "I don't think that Fidel is completely out of the decisionmaking process. But I also don't think that he will ever again be the only one to be making decisions."

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans marched through Revolution Plaza in the annual International Workers' Day march Tuesday, which Castro has attended for decades. But at press time, he was nowhere to be seen.

Speculation that he might appear was fueled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who said Sunday that Castro was again "in charge." Evo Morales, Bolivia's leftist leader and a Castro ally, also said publicly that the 80-year-old leader could make a May Day appearance.

Castro may return – but in what role?

Still, analysts say, there is a sense that Castro is recuperating and will resume some leadership responsibilities. Because of a dearth of public information on Castro – even his illness is a state secret – if he does come back to work, it is hard to know what sort of post he will hold.

Many believe his focus could be foreign affairs, especially given that his first public opinions, editorials penned in the Communist-run paper Granma, railed against US enthusiasm to turn corn into ethanol.

He later condemned a US court decision that allowed Luis Posada Carriles, an anti-Castro exile, to post bail. The day before May Day, Castro penned another column criticizing the release of Mr. Posada, whom the Cuban government has accused of bombing a Cuban jetliner in 1976.

In April, in what was believed to be his first official state meeting, Castro met with Wu Guanzheng, a member of the Standing Committee of China's Communist Party Politburo.

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