Raul Castro has stood by his older sibling's side since they plotted their revolution in the 1950s.
HAVANA: Raul Castro, who was temporarily handed the reins of Cuba's regime by his ailing brother Fidel on Monday, has stood by his older sibling's side since they plotted their revolution in the 1950s.
The second-ranking Cuban leader, who recently turned 75, has two big passions in his life: the revolution that began in 1959 and his older brother.
He holds the portfolios of defence minister, second secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, first vice president of the State Council and Council of Ministers, and the official heir to President Fidel Castro.
Raul Castro was born on July 3, 1931 in Biran, in the eastern province of Holguin to a Spanish father, Angel Castro, and Cuban mother, Lina Ruz.
He dedicated all of his life to following the path of his older brother. A student of economics and a member of the Communist Youth Movement, Raul Castro took part in the 1953 assault on Moncada barracks in what turned out to be a failed attempt to topple the dictatorial government of Fulgencio Batista.
He followed Fidel to prison to what was then called Pinos Island and has since been renamed into the Isle of Youth. Then they went together to Mexico to prepare the Granma ship landing and were among the first band of bearded rebels to fight in the Sierra Maestra.
When the revolution triumphed in January 1959, he became second-in-command in the 26 of July Movement.
The guerrilla army that battled in the mountains under his command has since grown into a modern fighting force that also plays -- through a state-run company named Gaviota -- a crucial role in key economic sectors such as tourism.
He played an important role in setting domestic and budgetary policies and gained the reputation of a hardliner.
Those who know him well describe him as a disciplined and energetic leader, but also as a doting father of his four children, who likes to climb mountains and camping.
His wife Vilma Espin, whom he married in 1959, was a leader of a clandestine urban organization, which fought against the Batista dictatorship, and later joined the guerrilla movement fighting under Raul Castro's command.
Espin is currently a high party official member of parliament and presides over the country's Federation of Women.
Since Fidel Castro is not married, she practically plays the role of Cuba's first lady.
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