Cuba will take its first step this weekend towards selecting a new president – the first time in nearly 60 years that the office will not be occupied by a member of the Castro family.

More than 8m Cubans are expected to turn out for the election on 11 March, according to government-funded outlet Telesur. Voters will select members of the National Assembly of People’s Power, who will go on to pick the country’s next president.

Below is everything you need to know about the elections, and what they could mean for the country.

Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Show all 20 1 /20 Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Pictures of everyday life in Cuba A man rides his modified bicycle past a vintage American car in Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba A taxi sits parked by Ancon Beach waiting for returning bathers in Trinidad Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Afrocuban carnival group "Los componedores de batea" performing in the streets of La Habana Vieja Rex Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Pastel colours for an ice-cream place and a vintage American car in Cienfuegos after sunset Rex Pictures of everyday life in Cuba A man on the phone in a bookshop in Old Havana (Habana Vieja) selling books and displaying propaganda poster of the Cuban Revolution Rex Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Street Musicians in Santiago De Cuba Rex Pictures of everyday life in Cuba A man works to repair his classic American car after it broke down along the Prado, a wide avenue that runs from Parque Central to the Malecon seafront highway, in Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Members of the 'Ladies in White,' a group founded by the partners and relatives of jailed dissidents that regularly protests against the Cuban government, demonstrate on the streets of Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Street vegetables vendor in Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba The sun setting through the palm trees and creates long shadows on the pool deck at this resort in Cuba Varadero Rex Pictures of everyday life in Cuba General view of a street in Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba A girls plays on a street in Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Girls walk past graffiti art along the Paseo de Marti, the wide boulevard that runs through the heart of the historic Old Havana neighborhood in Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba A woman smokes her Havana cigar Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba A man harvests tobacco leaves for drying at a tobacco drying house on a co-op plantation in Pinar del Rio Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Men play chess on a street in Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Locals take part in a gay parade in Havana Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Scene of the Memories Paraiso Azul resort in Santa Maria Key Getty Images Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Beach on the Bay of Pigs, Zapata Peninsula Pictures of everyday life in Cuba Divers swimming above coral reef in Caribbean Sea Rex

How will the elections effect Raul Castro and the presidency?

Raul Castro, the country’s leader since 2008, announced in 2013 that this would be his last five-year term as president. The newly elected members of the National Assembly will be charged with choosing the new president in April.

When Mr Castro is replaced, it will be the first time since the country’s 1959 revolution that someone other than Raul or his brother, Fidel, holds the office. Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel is widely viewed as a favourite for the role.

Mr Castro was expected to step down in February, but pushed the election by two months following Hurricane Irma, which caused $13bn in damages across the island nation. After stepping down, Mr Castro will continue to serve as head of the Communist Party – a job with almost as much power as the incoming president.

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Who are Cubans voting into office now?

Voters will cast their ballots on Sunday for one of the 612 members of the National Assembly of People's Power – Cuba’s national legislative authority.

Assembly members are elected for five-year terms, and are charged with selecting the Council of State, which consists of one president, one first vice president, five vice presidents, one secretary and 23 other members.

The National Assembly is also responsible for deciding on the constitutionality of laws, and making changes to the Constitution if necessary.

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How do the elections work?

Cuba’s elections are a multi-pronged process that start with the election of municipal representatives and end with the selection of the president. Voters went to the polls in September to elect their local representatives, and will return on 11 March to choose their national legislators.

The candidates in this election were chosen by government-linked organisations, based on criteria such as their “merit, patriotism, ethical values and revolutionary history”.

Candidates need at least 50 per cent of the votes in their district to win. If the 50 per cent threshold is not met, the seat remains open unless the Council of State decides to hold another election.