MIAMI — Cuba’s Parliament signaled yesterday that the status quo of a stunted state-run economy and strained relations with America will persist for now as it named Raul Castro to replace his ailing brother Fidel Castro as president and chose another aging revolutionary as the nation’s no. 2 leader.

The selection of Raul Castro, 76, to head the Council of State had been widely predicted, as he stood loyally by his brother’s side throughout a 49-year rule. But the appointment of Jose Ramon Machado, 77, as first vice president surprised Cuba analysts who had expected that a younger candidate would be named to bring change to the country’s ossified power structure.

Raul Castro’s first action as president was to propose, with unanimous endorsement of the Parliament, that the 81-year-old Fidel Castro retain an influential role in guiding the country.

The new president said he would consult his elder brother on issues of “special transcendence for the future of the nation, especially those having to do with national defense, foreign policy, and economic development.”

“I assume this responsibility knowing that as far as the commander in chief is concerned, there is only one. Fidel is Fidel,” Raul Castro told the newly sworn assembly. “All of us know he is irreplaceable.”

The appointment of staunch communists offered slim prospects for improved relations with Washington, D.C., where officials through 10 presidencies have insisted that Cuba improve its record on human rights before any mending of political ties can occur.

Secretary of State Rice called the leadership change a “significant moment” but urged Cubans to undertake “an open and comprehensive dialogue about their country’s future, free of fear and repression.”

“We urge the Cuban government to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights, and creating a clear pathway toward free and fair elections,” Ms. Rice said in a statement.

Cubans’ attitudes toward the leadership choices were muted. In Miami, Cuban exiles viewed the news as confirmation that little will change in their homeland until both Castro brothers are dead.

“We’ve traded one dictator for another, one murderer for another, and the people of Cuba still won’t know what it’s like to be free,” Ismael Jamide, 55, who left Cuba in 1992, said.

“This gang of delinquents will not make economic change, are you kidding? They know that if they do, the power will slip from their hands.”

In Havana, Cuba’s most respected dissident, Oswaldo Paya, called the election “tragicomic” and insisted the changes “were not the choice of the people.”

Although sweeping reforms are unlikely, Raul Castro has talked about the need for “structural change” to combat widespread corruption and theft from state enterprises. Cuban economists blame those problems for a dysfunctional economy that leave most Cubans to survive on less than $20 a month and a meager ration of staples.

Outside analysts contend excessive state control is what stifles incentive and hampers productivity.

Recent debate about how to boost agricultural output has raised hopes of more autonomy at least in the agrarian sector.

Some tinkering with agricultural policy is expected as even the most conservative leaders are concerned about the island’s dependence on imports for about three-quarters of the island’s food needs.