Vietnam parliament elects army general as state president

HANOI — 

Vietnam's parliament elected connected Monday service wide Luong Cuong arsenic the caller authorities president successful a wide anticipated determination that is expected to bring immoderate stableness to Vietnamese authorities aft a turbulent signifier of departures and reshuffles.

Cuong, 67, takes implicit the relation from To Lam, who was appointed president of the Communist-run, one-party state successful May and past besides took connected the much almighty occupation of enactment main pursuing the decease successful July of wide caput Nguyen Phu Trong.

Cuong was elected with the ballot of each the 440 deputies who attended the parliament league connected Monday.

In his inaugural code helium committed to boosting defence capabilities and pursuing an autarkic and multilateral overseas policy.

He vowed to "strengthen nationalist defence and security, physique up an service unit that is revolutionary, well-trained, nimble and modern".

Vietnam has agelong been seeking to diversify its arsenal from mostly Russia-made weapons but has not reported immoderate important woody successful caller years.

Before the election, Cuong held a cardinal presumption successful the secretariat of the Communist Party, which made him the fifth-highest ranking authoritative successful the state aft enactment chief, president, premier curate and parliament's chairman. Cuong is besides a subordinate of the Politburo, the party's apical decision-making body.

The authorities president holds small nonstop powerfulness but represents the state successful high-level meetings with overseas dignitaries. In his abbreviated spell arsenic president, Lam has met the leaders of China, Russia and the United States, among others.

Power sharing

In Vietnam, the enactment main has go the astir almighty fig since the precocious Trong efficaciously expanded the role's powers successful his 13-year tenure.

The determination by Lam, a erstwhile caput of police, to relinquish the presidency whitethorn bespeak a power-sharing compromise wrong the party, aggregate diplomats said.

Foreign multinationals, who person ample investments successful the Southeast Asian state for export-oriented manufacturing, had agelong praised Vietnam's governmental stability.

Many were taken aback by caller turmoil successful the enactment amid an anti-corruption run that led to the resignation of 2 authorities presidents and 1 parliament president successful the 17 months earlier Lam's election.

The caller power-sharing statement is acceptable to past until 2026, erstwhile each apical positions volition again beryllium up for grabs arsenic portion of a regular five-year reorganization of the governmental leadership.