Vo Van Thuong just resigned as President yesterday (20/3/2024). The question is who will be the next president of Vietnam?
The answer depends on the Politburo’s decision. But certainly, the President of Vietnam must be one of the 14 members of the current 13th Politburo. The order is as follows:
- Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Party Central Committee term XII
- Comrade Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
- Comrade Vuong Dinh Hue, Chairman of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
- Comrade Truong Thi Mai, Permanent Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Head of the Central Organizing Committee
- Comrade Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee
- Comrade To Lam, Minister of Public Security
- Comrade Phan Dinh Trac, Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission
- Comrade Tran Cam Tu, Chairman of the Central Inspection Committee
- Comrade Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense.
- Comrade Nguyen Hoa Binh, Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court
- Comrade Tran Thanh Man, Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly
- Comrade Nguyen Xuan Thang, Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council
- Comrade Luong Cuong, Head of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army
- Comrade Dinh Tien Dung, Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee.
In the list above, the presidential candidate will likely be from number 4 to number 6.
Time will tell. It won’t be too long.
Vietnam’s Communist Party Central Committee on Wednesday agreed to let President Vo Van Thuong be relieved from his position per his personal request.
Thuong will leave his positions as president, member of the Politburo, member of the 13th Party Central Committee, and president of the defense and security council for the 2021-2026 term, per a decision announced at an extraordinary session of the committee.
A statement from the office of the Party Central Committee said Thuong, as a key leader of the Party and the state, was entrusted with several important leadership positions of the Party and the state.
However, he had committed violations to Party regulations, according to reports by the Central Inspection Commission and other relevant authorities.
“Vo Van Thuong’s violations and flaws have negatively affected public perception, as well as the reputation of the Party and the state. Being aware of his responsibilities before the Party, the state and the people, Thuong has sent in his resignation from his positions,” it said.
This has been the 6th extraordinary session of the committee since the beginning of its 2021-2026 term.
Following the Party committee’s session, the National Assembly will hold an extraordinary session to decide on the president position.
Thuong, 54, from the southern province of Vinh Long, became the president for the 2021-2026 term on March 2 last year, after his predecessor Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested to be relieved of his duty.
With a master’s degree in philosophy, Thuong began his political careers in leadership positions at the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union Central Committee.
He became the Party Secretary of the central province of Quang Ngai in August 2011, then the standing deputy Party secretary of HCMC in 2014. He became the head of the Commission for Information and Education in February 2016.
He was a permanent member of the Secretariat from February 2021 to March 2023.
