Vietnam president To Lam gets top job as communist party chief

Lam pledges to maintain predecessor’s anti-corruption campaign as he takes nation’s top job – but it is unclear whether he will also remain president.

Vietnamese President To Lam has been formally named as the new chief of the Communist Party, the country’s top position, two weeks after the death of the previous general secretary.

Nguyen Phu Trong died on July 19 after having dominated Vietnamese politics since becoming party chief in 2011.

In his first speech as chief on Saturday, Lam promised to inherit and promote Trong’s legacy, make no changes to foreign policy, focus on achieving Vietnam’s socioeconomic development goals and continue a campaign against corruption.

“In the coming time, the work on anticorruption will be continued fiercely,” Lam told a news conference. “Personally, I feel fortunate that I have much experience in handling antigraft campaign during the time I worked at the police ministry.”

Lam was elected president in May after leading the sweeping campaign of high-profile investigations against corruption as police minister. He replaced Vo Van Thuong, who had been in the job for about a year when he quit amid accusations of unspecified wrongdoing.

The 67-year-old had temporarily taken on the party chief’s duties on July 18, a day before Trong’s death, as his health deteriorated. On Saturday, he said he was taking the reins because of “an urgent need to ensure the leadership of the party”.

It was unclear whether Lam would retain both top jobs until the legislative session ends in 2026, or whether a new president would be chosen.

Officials and diplomats said the party had discussed possibly naming a new president so that Lam could focus on the party chief job, according to Reuters. Discussions may still be under way, one diplomat told the news agency on Saturday.

If Lam keeps both jobs, he may boost his powers and possibly adopt a more autocratic leadership style, observers have said, similar to that of Xi Jinping, who is China’s party chief and state president.

That would be a change for Vietnam, which has engaged in more collective decision-making, with leaders subject to multiple checks.

 Al Jazeera with news agencies – August 3, 2024