After Fidel: A Guide to the Players

General Ulises Rosales: Another loyal Raulista, Rosales, 65, heads the sugar industry, one of Cuba's most vital operations. But he's considered a longshot Defense Minister candidate.

Esteban Lazo: One of the few Afro-Cubans in the top echelon, despite the fact that Cuba's black population is one of the revolution's most loyal constituencies. Lazo, 63, is a Vice President responsible for education policy. Considered a favorite of the Castro brothers because of his peasant roots, he is one of six officials listed by Fidel in 2006 to be in line to succeed him; but he's unlikely to rise much higher.

Jose Ramon Balaguer: A doctor who fought in the Sierra Maestra with the Castros in the 1950s, Balaguer, 75, is Health Minister and another of the six listed by Fidel. A Fidelista limited by his age.

Jose Ramon Machado: Even older than Balaguer, Machado, 77, a doctor and longtime Castro sidekick, shares education duties with Lazo and is another of the six listed by Fidel. (The other three are Lage, Perez and Francisco Soberon, below.) Part of Raul's inner circle, but like Balaguer he may be too old to be a factor anymore.

Francisco Soberon: One of Lage's most trusted fellow technocrats, Soberon, 63, is the Central Bank chief who in 2004 helped produced Cuba's first fiscal surplus in decades.

Otto Rivero and Hassan Perez: Young Communist leaders (both in their 30s) who may be even more crucial bridges to Cuba's youth than either Prieto or Mariela Castro. Fidel recently made Rivero a Council of State Vice President; Hassan Perez heads the University Students Federation. Their factional loyalties aren't as clear; nor are the posts they're likely to win from this National Assembly.

Jorge Bolanos: Cuba's de facto ambassador to the U.S., Bolanos, 71, is thought to represent Raul's less ideological foreign policy strategy — including hints at improving relations with Washington.

Fernando Remirez de Estenoz: Bolanos's predecessor in the U.S. is a doctor who heads international relations for the powerful Central Committee of Cuba's Communist Party. Speaks fluent English and, like Bolanos, is considered an important interlocutor with the U.S.