The Cuban Government gave the green light to complete the positions of vice prime minister of the country, with the appointment of Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, great-nephew of Fidel and Raúl Castro.
The newly appointed leader, 54 years old, had assumed greater public prominence since May of last year, when he took charge of the portfolio of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (Mincex).
|| Promoted Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga as Vice Prime Minister
✨The Council of State, on proposal @DiazCanelB and prior approval of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the @PartidoPCC agreed to promote Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga to the position of Vice Prime Minister, pic.twitter.com/cr4odLQWQz
— Cuban News Agency (@ACN_Cuba) October 18, 2025
He then replaced recently deceased Ricardo Cabrisas, who also performed the functions in the Council of Ministers for which he had just been appointed.
The departure of Cabrisas marked a year of change of up to six ministers on the island, movements that included the dismissal of the then head of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, Alejandro Gil, currently investigated for corruption.
According to the note published by the official media to announce his appointment, Pérez-Oliva Fraga graduated as an electronic engineer and has held different responsibilities within the island’s business system, starting “from the base.”
Ricardo Cabrisas is no longer Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment
In addition to his responsibility as minister, which he will alternate with the work of deputy prime minister, he has held the position of general director of the Maquimport Company and director of Business Evaluation in the Mariel Special Development Zone.
Before taking the reins of Mincex, he developed his career as one of its vice ministers, and then held the position of first vice minister of that organization.
With his appointment, Pérez-Oliva Fraga completes the step of vice prime ministers in the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, which is also held by Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, Eduardo Martínez Díaz, Inés María Chapman Waugh and Jorge Luis Tapia Fonseca.
Career linked to power
Given Pérez-Oliva’s journey through different business and government structures related to economic and investment issues, the recent movement could be assumed as a logical process in the usual cadre policy implemented by the highest leadership of the revolution.
However, there are many who see behind the new appointment a formula to “shield” the course of the country with people like and trusted by the current top leaders of the nation.
To this end, they point out Pérez-Oliva’s direct relationship with the Castro Ruz family, since he is the grandson of Angelita, one of Fidel and Raúl’s sisters.
His family connection with power also comes from being the nephew of José Antonio Fraga Castro, who until 2014 presided over the powerful company Labiofam, dedicated to the research and production of pharmaceutical products.
