Thursday saw the rubber stamp National Assembly of Vietnam elect a new president, who instantly vowed to fight corruption after his predecessor resigned in an anti-corruption drive.
Vo Van Thuong’s nomination occurs at a time of political unrest in Vietnam, where several ministers have been ousted as a result of the all-powerful Communist Party’s anti-corruption purge and factional fighting.
Following Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s resignation in January, members of the National Assembly chose 52-year-old Thuong as their representative for a term that lasts until 2026. Thuong was the only contender.
Thuong pledged to be “determined in the battle against corruption and negative phenomena” in his first speech as president.
According to state media, Thuong won 487 out of 488 votes in the national parliament.
The party, which is formally headed by the general secretary, president, and prime minister, governs authoritarian Vietnam.
Thuong is thought to be friendly with Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong, who is the most important person in the party and the mastermind behind the anti-corruption campaign.
Numerous corruption allegations related to transactions made as part of Vietnam’s reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic have led to the arrest of dozens of officials as a result of the campaign.
In January, the Communist Party decided that Phuc was accountable for wrongdoing committed by senior ministers who served under him from 2016 to 2021, before he was elected president.
