Cuba has a new president, but will anything change?

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – This week after more than half a century, a leader who is not a Castro became president of Cuba.

Miguel Diaz-Canel was officially sworn in to office after outgoing president Raul Castro stepped down and on "This Week in South Florida," our round table weighed in on Cuba's future -- now under a new name. 

"Given his history, he’s just another puppet that has been placed in that position," said Jay Narang of the Southwest Broward Republican Organization. "I think the revolution of what Fidel Castro and the Castro family has done has gotten a new life and a younger man at the age of 58. That’s from outside looking in – that’s what I see and I don’t think that’s going to change anything to be honest."

Joshua Johnson, a journalist with NPR, said Diaz-Canel could bring some change to the island nation.

"I totally understand the argument for making Cuba no longer a Communist nation. I do, however, think there’s another option, and China is proving that," Johnson said. "You have increasingly nations with a variety of governmental systems, including solid, staunch communism that have figured out a way to open up to the world."


About the Author:

Elsa Bolt is a South Florida native and an Emmy Award Winning Executive News Producer. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Miami in 2008, she entered the news industry and has spent most of her career with Local 10 News.