By Luis Mila

The infamous Raúl Castro was known across the globe as Cuba’s president; however his preselected successor which would inherit all his rule—Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez—was a subject of the unknown.

U.S. Congress members bombarded Mr. Díaz-Canel with a series of questions when they visited in early 2015. They revolved around his thoughts on the Cuban revolution, which altered Cuba’s stance on the globe, and its politics.

“I was born in 1960, after the revolution. I’m not the best person to answer your questions on the subject,” he replied. He was born one year after Fidel Castro seized control of Cuba, and is the first person not within the Castro legacy to lead the island in decades.

Díaz-Canel spent the entirety of his life apart from the revolution. As an electrical engineer by training, he had not participated in fighting within it, and from this, he soon became Cuba’s new president the day before his 58th birthday. Díaz-Canel is now tasked with several things as he decided to become eminent within the ranks of bureaucracy as president.

He is expected to be a president with the same values as Castro, who is in charge of Cuba’s most powerful organizations—the armed forces, and the Communist Party. Díaz-Canel also has to resolve the economic problems, seeing as President Trump is refusing any cooperation with Cuba. There’s also the growing impatience among people who want to see a change on the island, something different from what the revolution brought about.

Castro issued several reforms, which have expanded the economy to private investment, and entrepreneurialism, travel in and out of the country, and re-established ties to the United States. Now that he takes his leave, Díaz-Canel has to carry the torch.

A defenseless guardian of the revolution, some people who have worked with Díaz-Canel describe him as a quiet, effective leader, open to change, a good listener, approachable, and easily accessible unlike the heads of other parties.

There are also several stories that describe his charitable efforts that have spread throughout the years: he defended the rights of a gay club in Santa Clara, listened to academic complaints as minister of higher education, and even rode his bike to work instead of taking a government vehicle during gas shortages.

His newest well-doing is his role as the leading advocate behind internet access in Cuba. He argued that the nation could not seal itself from the world.

“Although Mr. Díaz-Canel is described as an honest, hardworking, and charitable individual, Cuba’s one-party system makes that hard to believe,” says Gabriella Caveda, a sophomore at American Senior High School.

Winning with a nearly unanimous vote, Díaz-Canel is envisioned as a leader that will only keep the flow of oppression going, in line with the standards established by the revolution.

“If he was placed in office then that’s because he probably mostly agrees with the castros. So, I’ll wait before i judge him,” says Lauren Prieto, a student who attends American Heritage Private School.

On the contrary, there are people who believe he has the opportunity to create something new for Cuba that goes against the tradition set in stone.

The system on the island has proven itself unworkable, and the change is deemed inevitable. Whether Díaz-Canel has the power to bring such change is far from certain.