Successor to Late Secretary General Jong Last Month
Appointed Chairman Reaches Top Position in Just 2 Months
Vietnam's 'number one power ranking' Communist Party Secretary General has once again been elected as To Lam, the current State President.
Vietnam's 'number one in power hierarchy,' Communist Party Secretary General, has once again been elected as the current President To Lam. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
According to major foreign media on the 3rd, the Communist Party of Vietnam held a Central Committee meeting that morning and announced that To Lam was elected as the successor to Nguyen Phu Trong, the Communist Party Secretary General who passed away last month.
President To Lam served as Minister of Public Security in 2016 and rose to the position of State President, ranked second in power, on May 22 of this year. Although the State President's role is largely symbolic, it is the second highest position in Vietnam's power hierarchy after the Communist Party Secretary General.
Leveraging his presidency, he was mentioned as a candidate for the next Communist Party Secretary General. Last month, as Secretary General Trong decided to focus on treatment due to health issues, To Lam acted as the Secretary General.
Secretary General Trong, who ascended to the top position in Vietnam in 2011 and held the post for 14 years, passed away on the 19th of last month. Since then, President To Lam was considered the top candidate, and indeed, he became Secretary General just over two months after being appointed President.
President To Lam is a 'public security expert' who served in the Ministry of Public Security for over 40 years. Known as the 'Burning Crucible,' he led investigations to eradicate corruption in Vietnam. Thousands of party and government officials and businesspeople were arrested through these investigations.
Last year, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and two Deputy Prime Ministers, Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam, abruptly resigned.
This year, several high-ranking officials who were considered next-generation leaders, including former President Truong, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and Truong Thi Mai, Head of the Party Organization Department ranked fifth in power, also resigned en masse.
Some analysts have suggested that President To Lam used anti-corruption investigations as a means to eliminate political rivals.
In Vietnam, the top leadership is divided among the Communist Party Secretary General at the center, the State President (diplomacy and defense), the Prime Minister (administration), and the National Assembly Chairman (legislation), ranked first to fourth in power hierarchy.
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