Ambassador Gilad Erdan said in a statement rejecting the measure.

a post equivalent to governor.He emphasized that reforms would follow a 12-year-plan laid out by the National Assembly and Communist Party that would allow moderate growth of private enterprise while maintaining the important sectors of the economy in the hands of the state.

That image changed slightly this year as state media placed an increasing spotlight on Diaz-Canels public appearances.People there describe him as a hard-working.historic moment that will be defined by all that we achieve in the advance of the modernization of our social and economic model.

Two years after taking over from his ailing brother in 2006.including remarks to the press last month that included his promise to make Cubas government more responsive to its people.

Castro launched a series of reforms that expanded Cubas private sector to nearly 600.

Fidel Castro on Face the Nation in 1959 28:31 Diaz-Canels half-hour speech offered most Cubans by far their greatest exposure to the man long expected to assume the presidency.and then diverting that campaign money to himself; and using connections to high-value donors and political campaigns to obtain more money for himself.

falsifying campaign finance reports.and engaged in knowing and willful violations of federal ethics law related to financial disclosure statements filed with the House.

as most Republicans and 31 Democrats withheld support for punishing him while the Ethics Committee investigation and his criminal trial proceed.But a group of his fellow New York Republicans renewed the effort to expel him in October after he was hit with more charges accusing him of stealing campaign donors identities and putting thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on their credit cards.