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Cuban President Fidel Castro was a no-show at the communist country's May 1 parade, disappointing many who had predicted he would use the holiday to announce a resumption of his official duties.
Speculation was rife that 80-year-old Castro, who has not been seen in public since undergoing major intestinal surgery nine months ago, might finally have recovered enough to return to power.
But the ailing leader was nowhere to be seen at the massive rally attended by tens of thousands of people in Havana's Revolution Square.
Crowds began forming for the parade before dawn but anticipation that had been mounting all morning quickly dissipated when viewers saw Fidel's 75-year-old brother Raul at the head of the procession, rather than the iconic aging revolutionary.
Raul Castro now wears the hats of Cuban Defence Minister as well as temporary head of state during his brother's convalescence.
The May Day holiday, dedicated to the achievements of the worker, is the most important holiday on the Cuban calendar, and is all but sacred to the revolutionary Government, making Castro's failure to appear all the more notable.