The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (Spanish: Primer Secretario del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba) is the de facto leader of Cuba. The First Secretary is the highest office within the Communist Party of Cuba as well as ranking first in the Politburo, the highest decision-making body in Cuba, which makes the office holder the most powerful person in the Cuban government. In Communist states the First or General Secretary of the Communist Party is typically the de facto leader of the country and a more powerful position than state offices such as President (head of state) or Prime Minister (head of government), when those positions are held by different individuals.From 1961 until 2011, the position of First Secretary was held by Fidel C