Miguel Díaz-canel Facts For Kids

Miguel Díaz-Canel is a Cuban leader and trained engineer. He rose through different government jobs and became the country's main leader in recent years. In 2018 he was chosen to be the nation's president, and in 2021 he also became the party leader. These two jobs make him the most important person in Cuba’s government today.

Being the country’s leader means he helps make big choices about schools, jobs, health care, and how the country works with other nations. As both president and the top party leader, he tries to guide the government and set goals for Cuba’s future.

Miguel Díaz-Canel was born on April 20, 1960, in the city of Santa Clara, in the Villa Clara region of Cuba. His mother, Aída Bermúdez, worked as a schoolteacher, and his father worked at a mechanical plant. Growing up in a home where school was important likely helped him value learning and public work.

His family has roots that go back to Spain: his great-grandfather moved from Asturias, a region in Spain, to Cuba many years earlier. Later Miguel trained as an engineer before moving into jobs in government and education.

Miguel Díaz-Canel began working in public jobs and slowly moved into higher leadership. In 2003 he joined the Politburo, which is a small group of top leaders who help make big decisions in Cuba. From 2009 to 2012 he was Minister of Higher Education, meaning he helped manage colleges and universities.

After that, he took on larger government roles. In 2012 he became a vice president in the Council of Ministers, and in 2013 he was chosen as First Vice President of the Council of State. These steps showed that other leaders trusted him to handle more responsibility.

In April 2018 Miguel Díaz-Canel was named by the National Assembly to take over the top government job from Raúl Castro. He was officially sworn in and began leading the country. This was an important moment because he was the first Cuban president who was born after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and the first leader since the 1970s who is not a member of the Castro family.

On April 19, 2021, he was also named First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the political party that guides Cuba’s government. Being both president and party leader means he sets many of the country’s plans and policies today.

First Secretary Miguel Díaz‑Canel became Cuba’s main leader in 2021. As First Secretary, he leads the Communist Party, which is the most powerful part of the Cuban government. Some news sources say he follows the ideas of the Castros, who guided Cuba for many years, so he continued many of the same plans and ways of running the country.

In 2021 there were big public protests in Cuba. The government moved to stop the protests, and Díaz‑Canel spoke about directing officials on how to respond. He also guided changes to the constitution that limit the president to two five‑year terms and that approved a new Family Code in 2022, which legalized same‑sex marriage and related rights.

Sanctions are rules some countries use to show they disagree with a leader or government. On 11 July 2025, the United States put sanctions on Miguel Díaz‑Canel. These rules make it harder for him to use some American banks, do business with U.S. companies, or visit the United States.

The United States also put sanctions on two top Cuban officials: Defense Minister Álvaro López Miera and Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas. Sanctions are meant to pressure leaders to change actions, and they are a way countries use their laws instead of using force.

Honours are special awards countries give to visiting leaders to show respect or friendship. Over the years Díaz‑Canel has received several foreign honours during trips and state visits.

Some of these include the Grand Collar of the Order of the State of Palestine (11 May 2018); the Collar of the Order of the Liberator from Venezuela (30 May 2018); the Order of Ho Chi Minh from Vietnam (9 November 2018); the Order of Agostinho Neto from Angola (1 July 2019); the Collar of the Order of the Aztec Eagle from Mexico (11 February 2023); the Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry from Portugal (14 July 2023); and the Grand Collar of the Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis from Namibia (27 August 2023).