by Alberto Galvi –
Vietnam’s National Assembly has confirmed Vo Van Thuong as the country’s new president amid a vast anti-corruption campaign. The campaign led to the arrests of dozens of officials, with many of the corruption charges related to deals struck as part of Vietnam’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Communist Party ruled in January that Phuc was responsible for wrongdoing committed by his ministers when he was prime minister during 2016-2021, before he became president.
After the ruling Communist Party nominated him as its sole candidate, lawmakers confirmed Thuong as president, a largely ceremonial figure. The presidency is one of the top four political positions in Vietnam. The National Assembly voted for Thuong with a total of 487 deputies out of 488 present.
Thuong’s appointment comes during a time of political upheaval in Vietnam, where factional infighting in the Communist Party has seen several ministers sacked. The election follows the sudden sacking in January of his predecessor Nguyen Xuan Phuc, accused by the party of violations and wrongdoing by officials under his control. Phuc’s removal as president was seen as a significant escalation of the anti-corruption crackdown.
In his first speech to parliament as the new president of Vietnam, Thuong said he will continue the fight against corruption. He is a member of the party’s Politburo, the highest decision-making body, and is widely regarded as close to the party’s general secretary. Thuong began his political career at the university, in the communist youth organizations. However, Nguyen Phu Trong is the most powerful figure in Vietnam, and he is the main architect of the party’s battle against corruption.
Thuong previously served as deputy head of the Central Steering Committee for the Prevention and Control of Corruption since 2021, and also served as head of the party’s central propaganda department, a position that has a strong influence on freedom of speech and the press in the People’s Republic of Vietnam.
