Vietnam elects Luong Cuong as fourth president in 18 months
The National Assembly of Vietnam unanimously elected General Luong Cuong as the country's president. He is the fourth person to hold this position in the last 18 months.
According to the Polish Press Agency, 440 deputies were present at Monday's vote, and the general received unanimous approval at the parliamentary session. The new president was previously a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and head of the political department of the People's Army of Vietnam.
Cuong will replace To Lam as head of state, who assumed the role of general secretary of the CPV in August. As president and formerly as minister of public security, Lam was instrumental in the extensive anti-corruption campaign initiated by the late CPV general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who passed away in July.
According to Vietnam's communist authorities, the anti-corruption campaign aims to eradicate widespread bribery, which they consider the greatest threat to their rule. However, critics argue that it is merely a pretext for removing political opponents.
In a conversation with the AP agency, Nguyen Khac Giang from the Singapore-based ISEAS—Yusof Ishak Institute stated that the decision to appoint Cuong president aims to stabilise the system after a period of political turbulence.
No talk of a breakthrough?
Meanwhile, according to The 88 Project, an organisation focused on freedom of speech, Cuong will be "a reliable substitute" for Lam, and his election as head of state will only "intensify repression in the country."
The presidential office in Vietnam is mostly ceremonial – the highest power is held by the CPV general secretary. Traditionally, in accordance with the principle of collective leadership in Vietnam, these roles are not combined.
Born in 1957 in the city of Viet Tri, Luong Cuong became a party member in 1978. He joined the military in 1975. In January 2016, he became the deputy head of the General Political Department of the Vietnamese People's Army, and in May 2016, head of the General Political Department.
