On Monday, October 21st, the Vietnamese National Assembly elected Army General Luong Cuong as the new President of the country. He is the fourth senior official of the Vietnamese government to assume the position of President in the past 18 months.
Born in Phu Tho province, Vietnam, the 67-year-old Luong Cuong took over from Su Lin to become the new President of Vietnam. With over 40 years of service in the Vietnamese military, there is widespread hope that his appointment will bring some stability to the Vietnamese political scene which has experienced turbulence at the highest leadership levels in recent times.
Su Lin was appointed as President in May this year, and after the passing of former Communist Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in July, Su Lin took on the even more powerful role of Communist Party Secretary. Concurrently, Luong Cuong was appointed as the Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and a member of the Politburo.
On Monday, all 440 delegates of the Vietnamese National Assembly participated in the vote, with Luong Cuong receiving unanimous approval.
Prior to becoming the President of Vietnam, Luong Cuong was ranked fifth in the leadership hierarchy. Upon his election as President, he rose to second place, just after the Communist Party Secretary and the Military Commission Secretary Su Lin.
In his inaugural speech, Luong Cuong stated that he will focus on enhancing Vietnam’s defense capabilities and implementing independent and multilateral foreign policies.
The position of Vietnamese President is more of a ceremonial role as the head of state, often representing the country at high-level meetings with foreign dignitaries, with limited direct powers.
According to Reuters, during Nguyen Phu Trong’s 13-year tenure as General Secretary of the Communist Party, he effectively expanded the powers of this position, making the General Secretary the most powerful figure in Vietnam.
Reuters quoted several diplomats saying that Su Lin, who had previously served as Minister of Public Security in Vietnam, giving up the role of President may indicate a compromise within the party regarding power-sharing.
It is expected that this new power-sharing arrangement will continue until 2026. As part of the regular five-year political reshuffle, top leadership positions will undergo a reshuffling once again at that time.