Vietnamese Communist Party appoints To Lam as country's new president

Photo: Agence France-Presse New President of Vietnam and former Minister of Public Security, To Lam

France Media Agency in Bangkok

Posted at 12:37 p.m.

• Asia

The Vietnamese Communist Party has named To Lam, Minister of Public Security, as the country's new president, state media announced Saturday, after his predecessor resigned as part of a sweeping anti-corruption purge.

The party's central committee approved “the nomination of Comrade To Lam, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security, as chairman,” the Vietnam News Agency reported .

Lam, 66, who has served as public security minister since 2016, has taken a hard line on human rights movements in the communist country.

His appointment follows the resignation of Vo Van Thuong in March, after only one year in office, as part of the anti-corruption campaign.

The 53-year-old ex-president's spectacular fall came as Vietnam experiences profound political upheaval, with his predecessor also ousted amid an anti-corruption drive that saw several ministers sacked and top business leaders tried for fraud and corruption.

In the same context, National Assembly Speaker Vuong Dinh Hue, 67, also resigned in April following “violations and failings,” according to the Vietnamese Communist Party (CPV).

Tran Thanh Man, 61, was named to succeed him as head of Vietnam's National Assembly, state media reported Saturday.

Mr. Man, until now vice-president of the National Assembly, thus becomes one of the four pillars of the Vietnamese executive, with the general secretary of the PCV, the president and the prime minister.

Vietnam is run by the Communist Party, with the main decisions being taken by the Politburo, which has 16 members.

This body has seen the gradual departure since 2021 of ten- eight of its members, including a president, a deputy prime minister and a former minister.

Although the president is the head of state, the strongman of the regime is the party's general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, considered the architect of the anti-corruption campaign, popular with Vietnamese public opinion.