WASHINGTON – Sen. Marco Rubio took his first shot at Cuba's new presidential nominee Wednesday.
Rubio said Miguel Diaz-Canel, the Cuban parliament's only presidential candidate, was Raul Castro's "appointed crony" and the two-day election process was a "sham."
"The sham elections in Cuba were nothing more than a predetermined charade by the Castro regime," Rubio said.
Rubio believes Cuba will continue to be an island imprisoned under the rule of an oppressive single-party political system.
While the Cuban government portrayed the process as inclusive, Rubio said Diaz-Canel and the regime will remain an enemy of Democracy, human rights and the impartial rule of law.
"If Castro truly wanted democratic change for Cuba, he would allow the Cuban people to determine their fate through free, fair, and multi-party elections," Rubio said.