Cuban president Fidel Castro has announced that he is retiring as dictator of Cuba after 49 years.  Castro is 81-years-old and has been plagued by bad health for the last couple of years.

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday that he will not return to lead the country, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution.

Cubans and Cuban-Americans will be in the streets shouting with glee.  Castro led a bloody revolution and reign as the head of Cuba.  His brother, Raul, is likely to succeed him.

Castro rose to power in 1959 as Prime Minister after overthrowing Fulgencio Batista.  He led Cuba by communism and oppressive rule.

Castro led the revolution overthrowing Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Shortly thereafter, Castro was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba.^[3] 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.

Hopefully one day soon Cuba can have a democratic election to elect a legitimate leader to lead the great people of Cuba to prosperity.