Cuba FM Rodriguez Picked for Top Party Position Cuba has named Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez to the powerful Political Bureau of the island's Communist Party. The bureau sits atop of the party's leadership structure and plays a central role in guiding the direction of the nation, though it does not have the power to enact or enforce laws. The Communist Party newspaper Granma did not say Wednesday whether Rodriguez is replacing one of the 14 people currently on the bureau or is an addition to its ranks. The 54-year-old Rodriguez is a former Havana University law professor and ambassador to the United Nations. He was deputy foreign minister from 2004 to 2009, when he was promoted to replace his former boss. President Raul Castro has frequently spoken of the need to groom a new generation of leaders.