March 2 (Bloomberg) -- Cuban President Raul Castro replaced key members of his government, including his cabinet chief, about a year after taking control of the communist country from his brother, Fidel Castro.

The president named Brigadier General Jose Amado Ricardo Guerra as the new cabinet chief, replacing Carlos Lage Davila, according to a statement posted today on the Web site of the state-run Juventud Rebelde newspaper. He also merged some ministries in a bid to increase efficiency.

“This is one more sign that Raul Castro is consolidating his power,” said Jose Azel, a senior research associate at thee University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies. “He’s putting his people in there.”

Lage was the architect of more liberal economic policies in the 1990s designed to help the Caribbean country pull through an economic crisis caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azel said. His departure may be a sign that Raul Castro doesn’t plan to open the economy further, Azel said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Matthew Walter in Caracas at mwalter4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: March 2, 2009 16:38 EST