HANOI, Vietnam (AP) 鈥 Vietnam elected Luong Cuong, a military general, as its new president on Monday, the fourth official to fill the role in 18 months.
Cuong, 67, was elected by the 春色直播 Assembly to replace To Lam, who president even after he was as the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party in August.
The role of the general secretary is the most powerful position in Vietnam while the presidency is largely ceremonial.
Cuong, who has served in the Vietnamese army for over four decades, has been a Politburo member since 2021.
His appointment took place after months of uncharacteristic tumult in Vietnam's politics and the death of former party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who had dominated the country鈥檚 leadership since 2011.
Trong was an ideologue who viewed corruption as the single gravest threat in maintaining the party鈥檚 legitimacy and launched a sweeping anti-graft campaign known as the 鈥渂lazing furnace.鈥 It singled both business and political elites, including former presidents Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vo Van Thuong and the former head of parliament, Vuong Dinh Hue.
As Vietnam鈥檚 top security official at the time, Lam had led the campaign until May. When he became the new general secretary, he promised to maintain the anti-corruption fight.
The campaign, albeit popular with many Vietnamese citizens, had and made the bureaucracy more cautious, slowing down decision-making in the country.
The appointment of Cuong as the new president was a 鈥渕ove to stabilize the system鈥 after the period of turbulence, said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow in the Vietnam Studies Program at Singapore鈥檚 ISEAS鈥揧usof Ishak Institute.
鈥淟uong Cuong鈥檚 appointment represents a deliberate attempt to restore balance between Vietnam鈥檚 military and security factions, particularly ahead of the 2026 Party Congress,鈥 he said.
鈥淏y ceding the presidency, To Lam shows his commitment to the collective leadership principle, while still retaining the decisive power in the system,鈥 he said.
Vietnam's leaders are next due to convene a Communist Party Congress in early 2026.
Critics said that Cuong's appointment would expand repression in Vietnam.
Ben Swanton of The 88 Project, a group that advocates for freedom of expression in Vietnam, said that Cuong would be a 鈥渞eliable deputy鈥 to Lam.
鈥淭he installation of Luong Cuong as president is yet another example of the expansion of Vietnam鈥檚 police state," he said.
