Fidel Castro supports brother Raul at Cuba Congress

When it came to the election of the new Communist Party leadership, the message was mixed.

As the name of each member of the newly elected Central Committee was read out, the winner stood up. Some were so old they could barely get to their feet, but there were a fair number of new younger faces, including a fair number of women and blacks.

The inner cabinet, the Politbureau, has been reduced from 24 to 15 members, of which three are newly appointed.

The most prominent arrival is the Marino Murillo who is in charge of pushing through the economic changes.

He is joined by one of the Havana party bosses, Mercedes Lopez, the only woman in the Politbureau, and Economics Minister Adel Izquierdo.

But the very top jobs remain firmly in the hands of the old guard.

As expected, Raul Castro was elevated to the head of the communist party.

But the number two spot went to his 80-year-old Vice-President, Machado Ventura, the number three to 79-year-old Ramiro Valdez.

Both fought alongside the Castro brothers in the Sierra Maestra mountains.