Salvador Valdés Mesa
Vice President of Cuba — in office since 2018-04-19
Salvador Valdés Mesa has been Vice President of Cuba since 2018 and is one of the most senior Afro-Cuban figures in the Communist Party leadership.
Quick facts
- Role: Vice President of Cuba
- Spanish title: Vicepresidente de la República de Cuba
- In office since: 2018-04-19
- Born: 1945-08-13 — Camagüey, Cuba
- Nationality: Cuban
- Affiliations: Council of State; Politburo of the PCC; Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC) — former general secretary
- Sanctioned by OFAC: No
Biography
Salvador Antonio Valdés Mesa has served as Vice President of the Republic of Cuba since 2018, having previously been First Vice President of the Council of State under Raúl Castro. He is one of the most senior Black Cubans in the PCC leadership in a country where Afro-Cubans have historically been under-represented at the apex of party structures.
Valdés Mesa rose through the trade-union movement, serving as general secretary of the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC), the official trade union federation, from 2006 to 2013. He was Minister of Labour and Social Security from 1995 to 1999. He sits on the Politburo of the PCC.
As Vice President his portfolio focuses on agriculture and labour matters; he is a frequent presence at official events and the Council of Ministers Executive Committee.
Career timeline
- : Appointed Minister of Labour and Social Security.
- : Becomes general secretary of the CTC trade union federation.
- : Elected First Vice President of the Council of State.
- : Becomes Vice President of the Republic of Cuba.
- : Re-elected to the Politburo at the 8th PCC Congress.