Castro nominated for parliament seat

Fidel Castro was nominated for a seat in Cuba’s parliament, leaving open the option for the ailing 81-year-old to stay on as president.

A National Assembly seat is a prerequisite for seeking the presidency, and if Castro had failed to be nominated it could have heralded a decision to remove himself from the office.

He was nominated by City Council officials in his eastern home province of Santiago.

There was no immediate word on whether Castro would accept the nomination. If he wins a parliamentary seat during national elections Jan. 20, he would remain in the running to retain the presidency of Cuba’s supreme governing body, the Council of State.

Castro has not been seen in public since emergency intestinal surgery forced him to cede power to a provisional government run by his younger brother Raul in July 2006. He has been recuperating in an undisclosed location and has been seen only in official photographs and videos.

If Castro relinquishes the presidency, he could still play a key role in the nation’s leadership in his current position as Communist Party general or in a new emeritus position.