HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam’s National Assembly on Thursday elected Vo Van Thuong as the country’s new president, in a reshuffle of the country’s top leadership amid a sweeping anti-graft campaign.
In an extraordinary session, lawmakers confirmed Thuong, 52, after the ruling Communist Party nominated him on Wednesday as president, a largely ceremonial role but one of the top four political positions in the Southeast Asian nation.
Thuong’s election follows the sudden dismissal in January of his predecessor Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who was blamed by the party for “violations and wrongdoing” by officials under his control, in what was seen as a major escalation of the country’s “blazing furnace” anti-corruption crackdown.
In his first speech to the parliament as new president, Thuong said he will “resolutely” continue the fight against corruption.
“I will be absolutely loyal to the fatherland, the people and the constitution, striving to fulfill the tasks assigned by the party, the state and the people,” Thuong said in a statement that was broadcast on Vietnam’s state television.
Thuong is the youngest member of the party’s Politburo, the country’s top decision-making body, but is considered a veteran of the party having begun his political career at university in communist youth organisations.
He is widely regarded as being close to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s most powerful figure, and the main architect of the party’s battle against corruption.
Thuong was elected with 98.38% of the votes, according to the parliament’s online portal.
(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio, Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen,; Editing by Ed Davies, Kanupriya Kapoor)
