HAVANA , Cuba ( CNN ) -- In a major shake-up the likes of which Cubans have not seen for decades , President Raul Castro on Monday reorganized his Cabinet , replacing longtime aides to his brother Fidel , who resigned from office a year ago , citing poor health . Cuban President Raul Castro is moving his own people into power , analysts say . Some analysts said the changes appear to be an attempt by Raul Castro to put his own supporters into positions of power . Among the changes : . Felipe Perez Roque , the 43-year-old foreign minister , was replaced by his deputy , Bruno Rodriguez Aprilla . Carlos Lage Davila , an economist , lost his job as Cabinet secretary , but no mention was made of removing him from his other post as vice president of the Council of State . Lage , who helped guide the nation through its `` special period '' of dire economic times in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the loss of billions in subsidies , was replaced by Brig . Gen. Jose Amado Ricardo Guerra ; Raul Castro is also commander in chief of the armed forces . `` It looks like Raul putting some of his own people in , '' said Wayne Smith , director of the Cuba program at the Center for International Policy in Washington , who led the U.S . Interests Section in Havana during the Carter administration . Smith noted that Cuba 's government underwent `` quite a few shake-ups after the revolution first came in '' in 1959 , but said Monday 's move `` is the biggest shake-up that I 've seen in a very long time ... for the last 30 or 40 years . '' `` This is obviously a major move , '' concurred Vicki Huddleston , who led the Interests Section during the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush , and is a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington . `` [ There is ] nothing like this that I can recall since the late 1960s . '' She noted that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with both Castro brothers during a visit late in February to Havana , on what Granma described as a `` work visit , '' and speculated that Raul Castro may have asked him then to buy in on the changes . `` They really need Chavez to be on board , because without the subsidized oil from Venezuela , they 're dead , '' Huddleston said . With the Cuban economy hamstrung by the world economy , Raul Castro may have decided it is time for him to make reforms of his own without worrying about second-guessing by his brother or his brother 's allies , she said . Huddleston speculated that the changes could portend the government once again allowing private enterprise to flourish in Cuba . Communist leader Fidel Castro experimented with that during the 1990s , but pulled back . `` It represents a significant step by Raul Castro to gain autonomy and , essentially , distance himself from Fidel 's old gang , '' said Larry Birns , director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs . `` In other words , he feels confident enough that he has an independent base of power . '' He said Raul Castro 's moves to date have proven popular not only with his party members , but also with the general population . Still , Raul Castro should not take that support for granted , Birns said . `` It may be that , if he makes too many moves , the party will feel that their privileges are being taken away , and that will make them unhappy . '' Otto Reich , who served as assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs during the George W. Bush administration , said he was withholding judgment . `` It 's a little early to tell what this really means , '' he said . `` Some people are saying the Fidelistas are being replaced by the Raulistas . But the other side is : Are we talking about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic ? '' The state-run newspaper Granma published an official notice from the State Council that said the changes were intended to form a structure that is `` more compact and functional , with fewer organisms of the central administration of the state and a better distribution of the functions that they carry out . '' CNN 's Morgan Neill and Shasta Darlington in Havana , Tom Watkins and Arthur Brice contributed to this story .
Several longtime advisors to Fidel Castro are replaced . Foreign ministers and cabinet members step aside . Analyst says it 's the biggest shake - up in 30 or 40 years .