With revolutionary leader Fidel Castro dead and his brother Raul vowing to step down as president in 15 months, it will soon be the hour of heir apparent Miguel Diaz-Canel, an advocate of modernizing Cuba's state-run media and abysmal internet access.
Fidel Castro died last Friday aged 90 and the 85-year-old Raul Castro, who took over as president in 2008, says he will step down in February 2018 at the end of his second five-year term.
Diaz-Canel was elevated to the position of first vice president in 2013, putting him next in line for the presidency.