Both Cuban leader Raul Castro and his brother, former leader Fidel, have been elected as delegates to the Sixth Congress of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba slated for Apr. 16-19, official TV reported on Saturday.

Fidel and Raul were elected at local party caucuses in Jose Marti and Second Front of the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, respectively, it said.

Fidel, 84, handed over power to Raul in 2006 due to health reasons, but he remains as the first secretary of the party, while Raul, 79, serves as the second secretary.

Cuba's 6th party congress will be the first since 1997 and will be attended by about 1,000 delegates from across the nation. The agenda will be focused on guidelines of the economic and social policy for the next five years, with which Cuba seeks to overcome the serious economic crisis affecting the island state for years.