Vietnam party chief To Lam to step down as president, relinquish dual power role

Communist Party chief To Lam is set to resign Vietnam’s presidency amid a wider government shake-up and sweeping anti-corruption crackdown

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To Lam gestures at a press conference on August 3 after being elected general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 3:15pm, 27 Aug 2024

Vietnam’s newly installed Communist Party chief To Lam will relinquish his role as president while overseeing a reshuffle at the top of government following his predecessor’s death.

The National Assembly separately accepted the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai for violating anti-corruption rules. Parliament also appointed three deputy prime ministers, with newly appointed Communist Party chief To Lam to step away from the presidency later this year.

The reshuffle, revealed in various government statements, comes amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign that has led to unprecedented political upheaval and follows the death of long-time Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in July. The party is now looking to create a sense of stability ahead of its twice-a-decade congress in early 2026, when top leaders are chosen for five-year terms.

“It will help things settle down, especially with To Lam leaving the presidency,” said Le Dang Doanh, an economist and former government adviser in Hanoi. The party leadership, he added, is matching officials with positions to ensure smooth governance and prepare it for the Party Congress.

The National Assembly will vote in October on a candidate to fill the presidency, according to a post on the government’s website, which cited the legislature’s Chief Administrator Bui Van Cuong. Under Vietnam’s political system, the Party Central Committee will nominate a candidate for president for the parliament to vote on.

To Lam chats with China’s Xi Jinping, president and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, in Beijing on August 19. Photo: Xinhua

By paring Lam’s role to party chief – the country’s most powerful political role – Vietnam is reverting to its “four pillars” structure by which separate leaders hold the key positions of government. It also puts to rest concerns circulating online he would try to consolidate power by occupying two positions, as in China where Xi Jinping is both president and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.