Manuel Marrero Cruz

Manuel Marrero Cruz (born 11 July 1963) is a Cuban politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of Cuba, and the first since re-establishment of the office of Prime Minister in December 2019 after the 43-year abolition of the position dating from 1976. The last Prime Minister before the abolition of the office was Fidel Castro. Marrero is the first person to hold the position of Prime Minister of Cuba in 43 years. A member of the Communist Party of Cuba, he served as the country's long-time Minister of Tourism from 2004 until his appointment to the office of Prime Minister in December 2019. During his tenure as tourism minister, Cuban tourism witnessed massive resilience. Marrero is an architect and worked in Gaviota, the tourism arm of the Cuban military, where he also held the rank of colonel.

Early life and career
Manuel Marrero Cruz was born in July 1963, in the eastern province of Holguín. He is an architect by training and joined the tourism industry in 1990. He began as an investor in the Gaviota Group and later was head of the technical investment group, deputy director and general director of the Río de Luna hotel and then deputy delegate of Gaviota for the eastern provinces. He was general director of the Varadero Azul hotel complex, first vice president and finally president of Gaviota. In 2004, he took over the Ministry of Tourism, appointed by Fidel Castro. He remained in office until December 2019 when he was named Prime Minister of Cuba. His successor in the Ministry of Tourism was Juan Carlos García Grada.

Appointment
Following the 2019 Cuban constitutional referendum, the office of Prime Minister of Cuba was reinstated for the first time since Fidel Castro last occupied it in 1976. President Miguel Díaz-Canel formally nominated Marrero to serve as Prime Minister, and his nomination as PM was unanimously ratified by 594 deputies of the National Assembly.

Soon after his appointment, controversy arose due to his son's opulent lifestyle, which contrasted with the daily life of the Cuban population.

The term limit for prime ministers under the new Cuban constitution is five years. Four years later he was also re-elected to the National Assembly of People's Power. At the first session, in the spring of 2023, he was again re-elected as head of the Cuban government.