Cuba is about to get a new president, and it will not be a Castro after nearly 60 years of their leadership.

The Castro brothers - Fidel and Raul - have between them been in power in Cuba for almost 60 years. But that is about to change.

More than eight million people were eligible to vote for a new general assembly on Sunday that will then be tasked with electing a new president in April.

This time the president's name will not be Castro. Raul is stepping down after serving his second five-year term.

Cuba's new leader is likely to be someone who did not fight in the 1959 revolution, with current Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel a favourite for the job.

However, Raul Castro is expected to stay on as leader of the Communist Party.

So, will it mean a change in politics for this island nation?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Peter Hakim - president emeritus of the Inter-American Dialogue

Carlos Alzugaray - Cuba's former ambassador to the European Union

Larry Birns - director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

Source: Al Jazeera News