Fidel Castro votes in Cuba election

State TV showed the 86-year-old voting at a polling station where he is said to have spent up to an hour talking to other voters and the media.

The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Havana says he was stooped and spoke with a faint, weak voice.

A crowd surrounded his car, cheering as he was driven off, she adds.

No opposition parties are allowed to take part in Cuba's election and all candidates have been selected by the ruling Communist Party.

More than 600 delegates will take their seats in the National Assembly and approve the candidates for Cuba's key political positions.

With President Raul Castro - Fidel's younger brother - already 81, Cubans are watching for any sign as to who might follow him, our correspondent says.

The choice of vice-presidents and ministers could suggest who is being groomed to carry on the revolution, she adds.