As a result of the enormous effort entailed by my visit to the Argentinean city of Córdoba, my participation in the Mercosur meeting and in the closing ceremony of the People’s Summit at the historic University of Córdoba, and my visit to the city of Altagracia, where Che spent his childhood, as well as the fact that immediately after this I attended the celebrations for the 53rd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes garrisons, which took place on the 26th of July 1953, held in the provinces of Granma and Holguín, and after days and nights of non-stop work with barely any sleep, my health, which has withstood every test, was put under extreme stress and submitted to the pressure.

This brought about an acute intestinal crisis with persistent bleeding which made it necessary for me to undergo complicated surgery. All the details concerning this health problem are contained in the x-rays, endoscopies and filmed material. This operation has forced me to take several weeks off, away from my responsibilities and duties.

Due to the fact that our country faces a threat from the Government of the United States in circumstances such as these, I have taken the following decisions:

1) I provisionally delegate my functions as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba to the Second Secretary, comrade Raúl Castro Ruz.

2) I provisionally delegate my functions as Commander-in-Chief of the heroic Revolutionary Armed Forces to the aforementioned comrade, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz.

3) I provisionally delegate my functions as President of the Council of State and Government of the Republic of Cuba to the First Vice-President Raúl Castro Ruz.

4) I provisionally delegate my functions as the main driving force behind the National and International Public Health Programme to the member of the Politburo and Minister of Public Health, comrade José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera.

5) I provisionally delegate my functions as the main driving force behind the National and International Education Programme to comrades José Ramón Machado Ventura and Esteban Lazo Hernández, members of the Politburo.

6)I provisionally delegate my functions as the main driving force behind the National Energy Revolution Programme being implemented in Cuba and abroad as part of a scheme of collaboration with other countries to comrade Carlos Lage Dávila, member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers.

The funds corresponding to these three programmes, namely Health, Education and Energy, should continue to be administered and given priority, as I myself have been doing, by comrades Carlos Lage Dávila, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers, Francisco Soberón Valdés, Minister and President of the Central Bank of Cuba, and Felipe Pérez Roque, Minister of Foreign Relations, who have worked with me on this and who should form a commission to this end.

Our glorious Communist Party, with the support of grassroots organizations and the people as a whole is given the mission of assuming the task entrusted to it in this Proclamation.

The State and Cuban nation should give the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, to be held between the 11th and 16th of September, their devoted attention in order to ensure that it takes place on the envisaged dates and is a glittering success.

I ask that the celebrations for my 80th birthday, which thousands of people had so kindly planned for the 13th of August, be postponed until the 2nd of December of this year, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the Landing of the Granma.

It is my request that the Central Committee of the Party and the National Assembly of People’s Power give their unwavering support to this Proclamation.

I have no doubt whatsoever that our people and our Revolution will fight to the very end to defend these ideas and measures, as well as any others that are necessary to safeguard this historic process.

Imperialism will never succeed in crushing Cuba.
The Battle of Ideas will go forth.
Long Live the Homeland!
Long Live the Revolution!
Long Live Socialism!
Ever Onward to Victory!
(Signed)

Fidel Castro Ruz
Commander-in-Chief
First Secretary of the Party and
President of the Councils of State and
Ministers of the Republic of Cuba