<span style="color: #222222;">Raul Castro confirmed he was handing over the leadership of the Cuban Communist Party to a younger generation at its congress that kicked off on Friday.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The move ended six decades of rule by himself and older brother Fidel.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He already handed over the presidency in 2018 to protege Miguel Diaz-Canel, 60, who ran the party in two provinces before joining the national government</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In a speech opening the four-day event, Castro, 89, said the new leadership would be party loyalists with decades of experience working their way up the ranks and were "full of passion and anti-imperialist spirit."</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The transition comes as Cuba faces the worst economic crisis since the collapse of former benefactor the Soviet Union, while there are signs of growing frustration, especially among younger Cubans. </span><br />''  <br />