HANOI: Vietnamese President To Lam was named general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the nation’s top position, on Saturday ( Aug 3 ), replacing Nguyen Phu Trong, who died two weeks ago.
Lam took over the obligations of party commander on Jul 18, a day before Trong’s death as his health was deteriorating.
Party representatives overwhelmingly supported Lam’s election, authorities told a press conference.
Addressing the delegates, he vowed to gain and promote Trong’s tradition, make no changes to the East Asian government’s foreign plan, focus on achieving its economic development goals and “fiercely” remain Vietnam’s anti-graft campaign.
Although Vietnam does not fully have a party head, Trong’s party leader effectively occupies a more prominent position than others after his 13-year leadership.
Lam, a job security officer, was widely believed to be aiming for the best position for the past, with experts calling it a stepping stone to the bottom position.
He was elected leader in May after leading a significant battle of high-profile bribery investigations as police secretary. Vo Van Thuong left the position after about a year because of allegations of unknown wrong. He took his place.