Candidates applaud Castro's resignation

The presidential contenders are weighing in on the resignation of Fidel Castro, saying that it opens the door to more movement toward democracy in Cuba -- and that the US should be at the ready to assist that progress.

Republican John McCain issued a statement saying the move "is nearly half a century overdue."

"For decades, Castro oversaw an apparatus of repression that denied liberty to the people who suffered under his dictatorship," McCain continued. "Yet freedom for the Cuban people is not yet at hand, and the Castro brothers clearly intend to maintain their grip on power. That is why we must press the Cuban regime to release all political prisoners unconditionally, to legalize all political parties, labor unions and free media, and to schedule internationally monitored elections.

'Cuba's transition to democracy is inevitable; it is a matter of when – not if. With the resignation of Fidel Castro, the Cuban people have an opportunity to move forward and continue pushing for the moment that they will truly be free. America can and should help hasten the sparking of freedom in Cuba. The Cuban people have waited long enough."

UPDATE: GOP rival Mike Huckabee issued a statement that called for "free and fair elections, which would provide the only hope for a prosperous and democratic Cuba.

"Until Fidel Castro is dead, there can be no significant movement towards reform in Cuba," Huckabee added. "Raul Castro has proven that he's as much a tyrant and dictator as his brother Fidel. Simply providing more power to another dictator does nothing to promote freedom and democracy to the Cuban people."

Democrat Barack Obama said Castro's departure "should mark the end of a dark era in Cuba's history."

"Fidel Castro's stepping down is an essential first step, but it is sadly insufficient in bringing freedom to Cuba," Obama said in a statement. "Cuba's future should be determined by the Cuban people and not by an anti-democratic successor regime. The prompt release of all prisoners of conscience wrongly jailed for standing up for the basic freedoms too long denied to the Cuban people would mark an important break with the past. It's time for these heroes to be released.

"If the Cuban leadership begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change, the United States must be prepared to begin taking steps to normalize relations and to ease the embargo of the last five decades. The freedom of the Cuban people is a cause that should bring the Americans together."

Democratic rival Hillary Clinton pledged that if she were elected president, she would work with partners in Latin American and Europe to do "everything possible to advance the cause of freedom, democracy and opportunity in Cuba."

"The new leadership in Cuba will face a stark choice -- continue with the failed policies of the past that have stifled democratic freedoms and stunted economic growth -- or take a historic step to bring Cuba into the community of democratic nations. The people of Cuba want to seize this opportunity for real change and so must we," she said in a statement.

"I would say to the new leadership, the people of the United States are ready to meet you if you move forward towards the path of democracy, with real, substantial reforms. The people of Cuba yearn for the opportunity to get out from under the weight of this authoritarian regime, which has held back 11 million talented and hardworking citizens of the Americas. The new government should take this opportunity to release political prisoners and to take serious steps towards democracy that give their people a real voice in their government.

"The American people have been on the side in the Cuban people's struggle for freedom and democracy in the past and we will be on their side for democracy in the future."