Alvaro Lopez Miera to Replace Leopoldo Cintra Frias as Minister of Armed Forces

Álvaro López Miera, Cuba’s new Minister of the Armed Forces. (Juventud Rebelde)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, April 15, 2021 — On Tuesday Alvaro López Miera was named the new Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, replacing veteran Leopoldo “Polo” Cintra Frias, one day before the start of the Eighth Communist Party Congress. Lopez Miera, 77, the son of Spanish Loyalists, is described by analysts as a member of the “reliable clan.”

“As proposed by the First-Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Army General Raul Castro Ruz, and the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Council of State has approved a request by Army General Leopoldo Cintra “Polo” Frías — Hero of the Republic of Cuba, with an extensive and brilliant record of service to the fatherland from an early age as a combatant of the Rebel Army — to be relieved of command as Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces,” reads the official announcement.

“The proposal to name Army General Alvaro López Miera — Hero of the Republic of Cuba, who has been serving as First-Deputy Minister and Chief of the General Staff, and who has enjoyed a long and fruitful career from a very young age in the Rebel Army — as Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces has been approved.

In official jargon, dismissal notices have their own grammar. The phrase “request to be relieved of command” is almost always associated with unsatisfactory performance or an exit from something other than the front door.

Polo, a man extremely loyal to Raul Castro, used to be considered “the youngest of the old guard” compared the octogenarians and nonagenarians who hold the most important positions in Cuba’s power structure.

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.