He hasn’t been seen publicly in over a year, ceding power to his brother Raul in July of 2006. Now it has been officially announced that Fidel Castro is stepping aside permanently.

An ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he will not accept a new term when the new parliament meets Sunday.

“I will not aspire to nor accept — I repeat, I will not aspire to nor accept — the post of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief,” read a letter signed by Castro published early Tuesday in the online edition of the Communist Party daily Granma.

President Bush is on TV from Rwanda talking about the situation. I caught just a part, where he made a statement saying that many in the international community will call for stability, but that instead we should hope for free and fair elections and the beginnings of institutions that can bring about democracy.

More later.