Castro is slated to remain head of the Cuban Communist Party until 2021.

They are authoritarian, grounded on the Cuban Communist party.

The seventh congress of the Cuban Communist Party is due to begin, with a lot at stake.

Both are also under threat: the Cuban Communist party by the dominance of globalised capital and the Catholic church by the rise of evangelical movements.

In an editorial this week, Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma said allegations that Ferrer had been mistreated were lies cooked up by the U.S. embassy.

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro attends the closing ceremony of the sixth Cuban Communist Party (PCC) congress in Havana April 19, 2011.