The World Briefly
March 02, 2023Friends in High Places
Vietnam
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Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party nominated Vo Van Thuong as the country’s new president Wednesday, following the forced resignation of his predecessor as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, Reuters reported.
The 52-year-old official is one of the youngest members of the party’s Politburo – Vietnam’s top decision-making body – and is widely regarded as being close to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the country’s most powerful figure.
Thuong is currently one of the Politburo’s 16 members and the secretary of the party’s Central Committee, one of the highest-ranking positions in the country.
Analysts said Trong meanwhile is one of the main architects of the Communist Party’s “blazing furnace” crackdown on corruption, which saw the investigations and forced resignations of hundreds of officials, including President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in January.
Although the position of president is mainly ceremonial, it is among the top four political figures in Vietnam, including the party’s general secretary, the prime minister and the head of the national assembly.
Political analysts suggested that the party’s decision to nominate Thuong was part of an effort to advance a new generation of leaders and consolidate power in the event that the 78-year-old Trong decides to step down before the end of his third term in 2026.
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