Vo Van Thuong Takes Oath as New President of Vietnam

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Vietnam State President Elected for 2021-2026 Term
President Vo Van Thuong during the fourth extraordinary session of the 15th National Assembly held in Hanoi. ( Photo : nhandan.vn )

Vo Van Thuong was been elected the State President of Vietnam during the fourth extraordinary session of the 15th National Assembly held in Hanoi. 

According to Vietnam’s Constitution, the President is elected by the National Assembly, and in a recent extraordinary session, Vietnamese lawmakers confirmed 52-year-old Thuong as the newly elected President of Vietnam. According to the parliament’s online portal, he claimed a landslide victory by securing 98.38% of the votes. 

 “Violations and wrongdoing” by officials under his control, were stated as the reason for Thoung’s predecessor Nguyen Xuan Phuc sudden dismissal in January. Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan was then appointed as an interim President of the country. 

The election of the new President comes as the country is campaigning hard for anti-corruption, with Thuong stating in his first speech as President that he will resolutely continue to fight corruption.

“I will be absolutely loyal to the fatherland, the people, and the constitution, striving to fulfill the tasks assigned by the party, the state, and the people,” Thuong said in a statement that was broadcast on Vietnam’s state television.

Thuong is the youngest member of his party’s Politburo, at the age of 52. Although he is considered to be a veteran in the political realm, starting his career at university in communist youth organizations.

Thuong is widely known for being close with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, one of Vietnam’s most powerful figures and the main architect of the country’s battle against corruption.