Hanoi – Vietnam will name a new president later this week, officials said on Tuesday, after the dramatic resignation of Nguyen Xuan Phuc as part of an anti-corruption drive.
Vo Van Thuong, 52, is expected to be confirmed at an extraordinary meeting of the country’s national assembly on Thursday, official political and government sources told AFP on condition of anonymity.
His expected appointment comes during a period of significant political upheaval in Vietnam, where the all-powerful Communist Party’s anti-graft purge and factional fighting have seen several ministers fired.
Authoritarian Vietnam is run by the party, which is officially led by the general secretary, president and prime minister.
Thuong is seen as close to Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong, the most powerful man in the party and the architect of the anti-corruption campaign.
Selecting Vo Van Thuong as the new president may be the safest choice for now, but should he be elevated to the highest party chief position in 2026, there would be interesting times ahead. Credentials propped with party affairs, but not a conventional party ideologue as Trong.
— C Nguyen (@CNguyenEc) February 28, 2023
“The party central committee will meet on Wednesday, while the almost 500-member national assembly will meet at its fourth extraordinary meeting on Thursday,” a national assembly source told AFP.
“For sure the national assembly is meeting to vote for the presidency, which is scheduled to be given to Vo Van Thuong,” another government source said.
Thuong has served as deputy head of the Central Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Corruption and Negative Phenomena since 2021.
He is also head of the party’s central propaganda department, a position that has a powerful grasp over freedom of speech and the press.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@noansereiboth
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