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FILE - In this May 1, 2017 file photo, Cuba\'s President Raul Castro watches the Mayday march at Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba. Cuba\'s National Assembly has extended its term by two months, until April 2018, a signal that Raul Castro will remain in the presidency longer than previously announced. Castro had said that he expected to leave the presidency in February. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan, File)

The Latest: Raul Castro to stay Cuba’s president until April

HAVANA – The latest on Cuban President Raul Castro planning to remain in office longer than had been expected (all times local):

7:35 p.m.

Cuban President Raul Castro has confirmed that he will stay as head of the island’s government until April, which is two months longer than had been expected.

The National Assembly announced earlier Thursday that Cuba’s current leadership would stay in power until April rather than February as scheduled. The announcement signalled that Raul Castro would remain president but did not specifically say so.

The 86-year-old Castro previously announced that he planned to step down in February at the end of a months-long political cycle in which voters and government officials pick the members of local, provincial and national assemblies and the members of the powerful council of state.

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Abbey Westbury

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