Cuban President Raul Castro has replaced eight ministers in a shake-up that tosses aside prominent figures linked to his older brother Fidel.
The changes put Raul Castro's stamp on the government a year after he took over as president following his brother's resignation due to illness.
The move most notably replaces 44-year-old Foreign Minister Perez Roque with vice minister Bruno Rodriguez.
57-year-old Carlos Lage retains his post as one of Cuba's vice presidents of the Council of State, but has been replaced by General Jose Amado Ricardo Guerra as cabinet chief.
Among others put aside were Raul de la Nuez, minister of foreign trade, and Jose Luis Rodriguez Garcia, the long-time minister of economy and planning.
A statement from the Council of State led by Raul Castro said the changes were intended to make Cuba's government more compact and functional, and to work toward 'perfecting' the Cuban system.
The ministries of fishing and food were combined, as were the ministries of foreign investment and foreign trade, according to an announcement read on state-run television.
The statement hinted at more changes to come in the government, 'with the objective of gradually reducing its breadth.'
