Vietnam Parliament elects army general Luong Cuong as President

HANOI — Vietnam's Parliament elected on Oct 21 army general Luong Cuong as the new state President in a widely anticipated move that is expected to bring some stability to Vietnamese politics after a turbulent phase of departures and reshuffles.

Cuong, 67, takes over the role from To Lam, who was appointed president of the communist-run, one-party country in May and then also took on the more powerful job of party chief following the death in July of general-secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Cuong was elected with the vote of all the 440 deputies who attended the Parliament session on Oct 21.

In his inaugural speech, he committed to boosting defence capabilities and pursuing an independent and multilateral foreign policy.

He vowed to "strengthen national defence and security, build up an army force that is revolutionary, well-trained, nimble and modern".

Vietnam has long been seeking to diversify its arsenal from mostly Russia-made weapons but has not reported any significant deal in recent years.

Before the election, Cuong held a key position in the secretariat of the Communist Party, which made him the fifth-highest ranking official in the country after party chief, president, prime minister and Parliament's chairman. He is also a member of the Politburo, the party's top decision-making body.

The state President holds little direct power but represents the country in high-level meetings with foreign dignitaries. In his short spell as president, Lam has met the leaders of China, Russia and the United States, among others.

Power sharing

In Vietnam, the party chief has become the most powerful figure since the late Trong effectively expanded the role's powers in his 13-year tenure.

The move by Lam, a former head of police, to