On Wednesday, the rubber-stamp Parliament of Vietnam voted to appoint Tô Lâm, the country’s top security official, as the country’s new president.
Lâm, 66, was appointed to the office amidst the major anticorruption campaign that forced his predecessor to resign.
Lam on being President, said he was “determined to fight corruption and negative phenomena.”
This significant development of the resignation was confirmed by Vietnam’s National Assembly. The campaign has shaken the country’s political establishment and business elites and has resulted in multiple top-level changes in government.
Power of the position
The Vietnam presidency is largely ceremonial, but his new role as head of state puts Lam in a “very strong position” to become the next Communist Party general secretary, the most important political position in the country.
Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was elected to a third term in 2021, but at age 80, he may not seek another term after 2026. He views corruption as the gravest threat facing the party, and Lam was a prominent figure in Trong’s sweeping anti-graft campaign.
How was he voted?
Vo Van Thuong, the predecessor of Lam, resigned in March over what the party called “violations and shortcomings” after just a year on the job.
Lam carried 472 of 473 votes in a system where the National Assembly elects the president by secret ballot, with deputies then approving the results. The country is led by the Communist Party general secretary, who holds the country’s top job. Vietnam has a four-person leadership structure that also includes the president, prime minister, and head of the National Assembly.
About To Lam
Lam is a Vietnamese politician, who has been the Minister of Public Security of Vietnam since 9 April 2016 and has spent more than four decades since then. He is a member of the 12th Politburo of the Communist Party of
Vietnam having previously served as Deputy Minister of Public Security. He before taking office primarily oversaw police and intelligence operations.
