Esteban Lazo Hernández
President of the National Assembly of People's Power — in office since 2013-02-24
Esteban Lazo Hernández is the President of Cuba's National Assembly (ANPP) and one of the longest-serving members of the PCC Politburo.
Quick facts
- Role: President of the National Assembly of People's Power
- Spanish title: Presidente de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular
- In office since: 2013-02-24
- Born: 1944-02-26 — Jovellanos, Matanzas, Cuba
- Nationality: Cuban
- Affiliations: National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) — President; Council of State; Politburo of the PCC
- Sanctioned by OFAC: No
Biography
Esteban Lazo Hernández has presided over Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular, ANPP) since 2013. As Assembly president he also chairs the Council of State, the standing body that exercises legislative authority between Assembly sessions under the 2019 Constitution.
Lazo joined the PCC Politburo in 1991 and is one of its longest-tenured members. He is, with Salvador Valdés Mesa, one of the senior Afro-Cuban figures in the Cuban leadership. Earlier in his career he served as Vice President of the Council of State and as a provincial First Secretary of the PCC in Santiago de Cuba.
His role at the head of the ANPP makes him the formal presiding officer over the legislative ratification of every law and major appointment in Cuba — including, in 2018 and 2023, the election of Miguel Díaz-Canel to the presidency.
Career timeline
- : Joins the Politburo of the PCC.
- : Elected President of the National Assembly.
- : Presides over the ANPP session electing Díaz-Canel as President.
- : Re-elected to the Politburo at the 8th PCC Congress.
- : Re-elected President of the National Assembly for a fresh term.