Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba, though due to illness, his duties have been transferred to his younger brother, Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz.

Castro led the revolution overthrowing Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Shortly thereafter, Castro was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba.Castro became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in 1965, and led the transformation of Cuba into a one-party socialist republic. In 1976 he became president of the Council of State as well as of the Council of Ministers. He also holds the supreme military rank of Comandante en Jefe ("Commander in Chief") of the Cuban armed forces.

Castro first attracted attention in Cuban political life through nationalist critiques of Batista and the United States political and corporate influence in Cuba. He gained an ardent, but limited, following and also drew the attention of the authorities.He eventually led the failed 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, after which he was captured, tried, incarcerated and later released. He then travelled to Mexico to organize and train for the guerrilla invasion of Cuba that took place in December 1956.

Since his assumption of power in 1959 he has evoked both praise and condemnation (at home and internationally). Opponents characterize Castro as a dictator, claiming that he has not risen to power through open, public elections, and some contend that his rule is illegitimate because the socialist system itself was not established through what they considered to be legal means.Supporters, on the other hand, see Castro as a charismatic leader whose presidential authority has been acquired through legitimate elections.